How many people did NOT get the automatic climate control?

GICU812 · 10-30-2007, 08:59 AM

It would appear that I am in the minority, in that my car does not have automatic climate control. I also do not have AC, which also I belive is a minority. I dont know if the two are related, maybe auto climate was not available with AC.

Whats odd is I found what appears to be the cabin tempature sensor, its to the right of the steering wheel. I wonder how many other parts of the system are in there too? Maybe all?

I dont have pictures, but I can describe my buttons. Looking at the pic in the climate control FAQ sticky, my diffrences are as follows:

I still have the mode and ECON buttons, but the little fan button is just a blank, cant push it. The defrost and recirc buttons are there, but instead of off and auto, I have a fan with a down picture and another with an up picture, for adjusting fan speed.

The temptaure dial is there, but I dont get a degree reading in the display.

So how many others have manual climate? Anyone looked into modifying it to run auto?

Scott · 10-30-2007, 09:30 AM

5 speeds were available with or without auto climate control (A/C). CVT's all came standard with auto climate control.

atlaw4u · 10-30-2007, 10:59 AM

I've read the AC adds about 37lbs.

Caryfd227 · 10-30-2007, 11:42 AM

31 pounds according to http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclopedia/enspecs.html

ikhoudvanu199 · 10-30-2007, 11:51 AM

my car came w/ the a/c, and even though i use it as little as possible, i would hate to not have it...this is my 1st car with an actual working a/c

LoNOx 1 · 10-30-2007, 09:35 PM

I have ac and don't use it. I used it only on downhills this summer when we had some 100° heat.

nemystic · 10-31-2007, 01:03 PM

I'm the original owner of a 2001 5 speed that never had A/C.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons why the end-of-year price was so incredibly low.
I can think of about a dozen times where I might have used A/C if it were available, particularly for windshield defrosting in rain or high humidity conditions.
Some have also speculated that the absence of A/C could reduce battery pack life.
I have a portable 12V fan that provides some relief (for the driver, not the batteries) in the summer.

**uhtrinity** · 10-31-2007, 01:24 PM

No AC or climate control on mine either. AC would definitely be nice, but doesn't matter at all this time of the year.

joecvt · 10-31-2007, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nemystic

Some have also speculated that the absence of A/C could reduce battery pack life.

Seems odd....Just curiuos, what is the reasoning for this speculation?...

JoeCVT - Just your average CVT owner

nemystic · 10-31-2007, 08:41 PM

Hi Joe,

The whole issue of battery pack longevity is somewhat complicated, and there are still a few aspects of the Insight's pack that seem to remain an enigma for even the best educated owners.

I've tried to learn as much as possible about the Insight's battery pack and the fundamentals of NiMH battery charge management. What I know now is about 1000% more than when I first acquired the car, but there are still many unknowns.
It's been especially interesting to learn about all of the specific design improvements to the Prius that enable its battery pack to last seemingly forever. I know one guy who has about 330K miles on a Prius classic, with no apparent problems or issues with the original battery pack.

In response to your question; the simple answer is that large temperature variations and temperature extremes are harmful to the Insight's battery pack. Air conditioning can provide cooling to the Insight's battery pack, particularly after a hot day in the parking lot, where the battery temperatures before starting can approach 100 deg. F, even in New England. The inlet air that circulates through the battery pack comes from the car's interior.
Apparently, NiMH batteries, like humans, are most "comfortable" at about 70 deg. F.

For those who may be interested in a more comprehensive explanation; temperature differences between respective sub-packs in the Insight's battery pack are believed to lead to deteriorated performance and eventually to the infamous "code of death".
Although I have the luxury of being able to monitor average battery temperature and to manually manage the battery usage, I don't have the ability to monitor the temperature differences between respective sub-packs.

The information and data from the experiments I've been involved with and had access to (still leaving much yet to be desired) seem to indicate that there is not uniform forced convective cooling of all sub-packs in the Insight. The sub-packs on the interior don't seem to be as effectively cooled as the sub-packs on the periphery. To make matters worse, the cooling fans on the stock Insight don't operate when the car is stopped (probably so the driver won't be apprehensive about the noise when the engine is off).
The batteries have internal resistance, which produces heat, particularly when the current passing through the battery pack is high. If this heat can't be removed from all sub-packs at a consistent rate, some sub-packs will be hotter than others, particularly in hot weather with driving conditions that involve higher levels of electric assist. The resistance of the batteries increases with temperature increase, so now the problem is exacerbated and the system is effectively uncontrolled. The inner pack batteries are hotter, and generate more heat and etc.
This is believed to lead to "memory" issues, particularly in the most affected sub-packs, and a charge imbalance among sub-packs which can not be individually charge managed by the Insight's stock controls.

There's more to the story, but I'm inclined to end it here in hopes that I've answered your question.

This could perhaps lead to an interesting forum discussion, but it may be better served on a thread topic other than an air conditioning survey.

-Brian