[mibo]

I have driven my Volt since early Summer, and so far I am happy with it. I am using it mostly for short distances, and my mileage stands at around 250 mpg But I live in Denver, and the cold season is upon us. We just had a bit of snow ...

I had a bit of a problem with keeping the windows clear from fogging when it was cold and damp. Part of it is that I have not mastered the climate control in the car. It used to be simple: you had a temperature control, and you could turn on and off the A/C. For a cold, damp morning, you would turn on the A/C to dry the air and then run it through the heater to get it warm. That cleans up the windows in no time. With the controls in the Volt it is no that easy. There is an on/off button, an eco button, a max button, and and an Auto button. You also set a temperature, and I am not sure how they all interact. The manual says that running the heater uses a lot of power, which I can confirm, and suggests to use the heated seats and steering wheel and not heat the inside, but I tried that, and shortly thereafter the windows were fogged over - not the best idea.

What is the consensus here about the best settings for winter driving? How do I keep the windows clear without eating up battery?

 

[supchrgamx]

In setting
auto fan on high
auto def off
on dash
max button on, auto on
set temp couple deg warmer
under drivers and pass front seat there is 2 vents on each side
stuff a sock in them or the two inside ones
run the engine to warm up car if you don't want to use battery
2016 has a hvac update, easy to tell, crank heat in park to hi, if all it shows is 6 kw on display need update if 7 to 9 kw it has update

 

[obermd]

Living in Denver as well I think I can help. I use Eco but override the vents to force the car to send air out the windshield and foot vents. When that doesn't work I hit the defrost button and all my windows clear in just a couple of minutes. This winter I'm going to see if Max with the windshield and foot directional controls allows me to use the main defrost less.

I use the heated seats and steering wheel heavily, but I also wear gloves as the backs of my hands get very cold and painful with arthritis if they're bare.

Keeping the windshield clear without eating up battery - run in Hold mode or don't defer ERDTT from 32 to 15 F. The biggest strength ICE has over electric is it generates a lot of excess heat.

 

[pe1979b]

We're in the same boat. I just bought my Volt at the start of the summer and I have thoroughly enjoyed it over the summer. Very anxious to see how it does in the winter (I've already seen a decrease in estimated range from my summer time 62 miles down to 50)

Yesterday I experienced fogging on my windows and all I did was hit the max defrost button and that seemed to take care of it. I'm fine with turning up the temperature to keep my car warm and frost free. I don't drive enough to be concerned about running out of electric range so keeping it warmer is not a problem for me. Thankfully I can precondition before heading out but if I can't I've always got the ICE backup.

 

[Occult Scientist]

Preconditioning make a big difference. It warms and dehumidifies the interior. I run twice in cold temperatures and once in when is not so cold.

This, along with the heated seat and steering wheel, help keep the electric range up. Sometimes it may be best to just burn some gas.

 

[Lotus54]

I’m still in the ‘figuring out’ the climate controls also.
I really like heated seats- so use those right away, plus the heated steering wheel (I have Reynaulds).
Window fogging is a big deal here. Not that cold, but damp and stuff fogs easily. So far, if I need to really defog, I use the windscreen defog button.

Here is some info from the manual. Did you turn on ‘auto defog’?

>>>>——

When in Fan Only mode, if Auto Defog is enabled, the air conditioning and electric heat may
turn on when high humidity conditions exist. See “Climate and Air Quality” under Vehicle
Personalization 0 137 for more information on the Auto Defog selection.

 

[Steverino]

Avoid Eco, use Comfort.

 

[KenC]

For max window clearage use Defrost. That of course uses alot of electricity. Once it's clear, you can set it on defog, eco and recirculating. That uses less electricity, but since eco AC is on, it still uses some. If everything is dry and you don't need to dehumidify anymore, turn off eco.

Defog sets the air to the windshield. I suppose "auto" should figure out that the air needs to go to the windshield, but I set it on defog to be sure.

I have driven my Volt since early Summer, and so far I am happy with it. I am using it mostly for short distances, and my mileage stands at around 250 mpg But I live in Denver, and the cold season is upon us. We just had a bit of snow ...

I had a bit of a problem with keeping the windows clear from fogging when it was cold and damp. Part of it is that I have not mastered the climate control in the car. It used to be simple: you had a temperature control, and you could turn on and off the A/C. For a cold, damp morning, you would turn on the A/C to dry the air and then run it through the heater to get it warm. That cleans up the windows in no time. With the controls in the Volt it is no that easy. There is an on/off button, an eco button, a max button, and and an Auto button. You also set a temperature, and I am not sure how they all interact. The manual says that running the heater uses a lot of power, which I can confirm, and suggests to use the heated seats and steering wheel and not heat the inside, but I tried that, and shortly thereafter the windows were fogged over - not the best idea.

What is the consensus here about the best settings for winter driving? How do I keep the windows clear without eating up battery?

 

[Barry]

If you ever have to choose between clearing your windows and conserving range, choose clear windows. Your range is less in cold weather no matter what you do with the climate control system. Don't trade off safety for a couple more miles of electric range.

 

[mibo]

Thanks to everybody. I guess driving with a e-vehicle does take a bit getting used to I found that the heater really cts into the e-mileage, even more than the A/C, but I think using the eco mode and the right combination of vents and fan speed did keep the windows mostly clear . The car surprised me, though, but starting the engine. The display said "running engine because of cold temperature" or something similar. After not hearing an engine for most of the time I have driven the car, it sounded pretty rough ...