I know that in gas cars that sitting still while running the AC can cause the engine to overheat. Are there any issues with doing this in a Volt? Four times a week either the girl has ballet or the boy has karate and I like sitting in the car with AC on and listening to music while I wait for them. So far it hasn't caused any problems but figured I should ask anyways...
Sitting in the car with AC running
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I've never known that to happen in any of the gas cars I have owned. Sure, the fan will probably come on, but if the car overheats then you've had either a fan, coolant, water pump or thermostat problem and overheating should not have occurred. Same goes for the Volt really (with the ICE on). Using the battery the compressor running will only draw down your battery and not overheat it.
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I've done this in 90F heat with no issues. The engine came on after it ran out of battery power. I was actually worried about the same thing since it was very hot, but, the engine temp never went above 190F. The engine cycled off and on as the battery got some juice back.
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Obviously, it's better to do this with partial battery charge rather than a depleted battery, but even with the ICE cycling on and off, as someone else stated, the fans will take care of it. I'm guessing the Buick LeSabre had a much bigger engine in 1987, and if the car was old, maybe the radiator full of gunk and wasn't operating at 100% efficiency. Your G2 volt is so new, there shouldn't be any issues.
On really hot days when I'm well within EV range, I'll leave volt running in the grocery store parking lot so the cabin is nice and cool when I return. Nobody know's it's even running, unlike the empty crew cab dually diesel clanging away parked next to me as that coal roller also wants to return to a cool cabin. The only giveaway is the triple honk as I'm walking away from the car. Only a volt and ELR owner would know what I was up to. Most other people would just think I turned on the car alarm or something.
On really hot days when I'm well within EV range, I'll leave volt running in the grocery store parking lot so the cabin is nice and cool when I return. Nobody know's it's even running, unlike the empty crew cab dually diesel clanging away parked next to me as that coal roller also wants to return to a cool cabin. The only giveaway is the triple honk as I'm walking away from the car. Only a volt and ELR owner would know what I was up to. Most other people would just think I turned on the car alarm or something.
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My wife would kill me if I ate something while sitting in the car. Her tactic to keep from trashing the car is working, though trips take longer because we can't eat while driving.
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No, no eating in the car. I eat in the building, then I go out to the car to read, listen to the radio and nap.
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I don't get to nap during my day. I eat at my desk and work through lunch so I can leave a bit earlier.
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Not me, I'm a slave to the time clock.
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What's a time clock?Not me, I'm a slave to the time clock.
Don't know if they've made improvements that eliminate the problem, but the original issue with recommendations not to let an ICE idle too long was because the catalytic converter would overheat, not the engine. Very expensive if you had to replace it.
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I sit with AC on all the time, both in CD and CS modes. Did the same in the winter for heat as well in CD and CS modes. I mean, there must've been some engineering done to handle bumper-bumper traffic in hot areas where people are likely to be blasting their AC with almost no wind running into the radiator. We would've heard by now of Volt's dying due to overheated systems when idle with AC running.
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The Volt generates significantly less waste heat than traditional ICE cars, so you'll definitely be safe. ICE cars should be safe too, though they'll also be polluting.
Anybody remember "back in the day", the volt that caught fire in the garage (with a B&W checkered floor if that jogs a memory)? Claims of battery fire, etc. IIRC, the ruling was the car was left on and the cat/exhaust melted and ignited the floor tiles.
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Yep, that's why the had the reprogram on the earlier Volts to shut down after a couple of hours of inactivity.
Better yet is that you can sit in the car with the AC on while in your closed garage. If you remain plugged in there is no chance the ICE comes on and you can "play" with the car, read the manual, listen to music, or whatever. It's like your portable AC controlled space.
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Why waste the huge battery in the Volt or any EV? Get Pandora or any good digital radio application for your smartphone or rip your favorite music into the smartphone, then stay in the same building under cover with your child, enjoying your music . I use Pandora while walking my dog every evening, and I choose the "station" according to the mood and pace I wish for that walk. Pandora may be free according to your carrier, and it has a huge selection. Sometimes it may repeat songs according to your "thumbs up".
I also have Amazon Music to listen to my purchased collections, too. But that uses your monthly data rate.
I also have Amazon Music to listen to my purchased collections, too. But that uses your monthly data rate.
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Excellent idea. I picked up a couple of good defensive moves watching my children in karate class!
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