Anyone tried AutoCool yet?

I think this is a great idea and I am all for the concept. I think it would help greatly if you park in the sun. Every little bit of heat removed from the car will be less heat you will need to chill with the AC. I don’t know about this product though because if you leave you window down below the lip of the window frame it is much easer to break out if you wanted into the car.


I do think the members of Prius chat could come up with a much better mod that would have a bigger panel and vent to the bottom of the car via a 2†hose and you would never have to have your windows down at all.

As a matter of fact we could have the 2†hose blow onto the engine keeping it warmer longer for your departure and this could all be done without accessing the cars power.

 

I think not. It would, be in invitation to break in.

 

I have something like this, not this exact brand, and I don't think it makes that much difference. At most it might be 5-10 degrees. Personally, I can't feel the difference between 115 degrees and 105 degrees.

One of the problems is that across the top is the means of both pulling the outside air in and venting the inside air out. It might work better if a window was cracked on the other side.

Another is that the device should be directly facing the sun. Sometimes your car directly faces the sun so you have to decide whether to vent in the morning or the afternoon by putting it on the driver's side or the passenger's side.

It's a great idea and it does work. The solar panel does power the little fan. But....it's just not big enough or powerful enough to really make a difference in the heat. I've tried it with and without on consecutive days of the same temp and can't really tell the difference when I get in the car. Hot is hot.

(Then again...anything below 68 is cold and anything above 72 is hot.)

 

If one shows up at Bed Bath & Beyond or Linens & Things, so I can add a coupon, I'd try one.

However, it looks like there's an adapter that provides a slot for the unit, and putting that on the driver's side might be a hassle. Passenger seems more likely since (rumor has it) the back windows aren't rain-resistant if partially open...

 

The heat buildup in your car comes from radiation. Radiation is a much more powerful heat transfer mechanism than convection. This device attempts to use convection to overcome radiation. It simply won't work. You will reduce the interior temperatures by a small fraction of the amount of buildup.

This is the same as venting an attic to remove heat. Vent all you want but it is going to be insufferably hot if you don't address the radiant heat gain.

Oh and there is also the "I buy gadgets off the television" aspect to contend with if image matters. That would be easier to ignore if the thing actually worked.

Physics and image vote no. The dream of a cool car parked in the sun votes yes. The motion fails by a 2 to 1 margin.

 

I have a similar one I had in my old car. The biggest problem besides the tiny fan, is that it mounts on the inside of the window, so the slight window tint cuts most of the sun power to the solar cell.

On the Prius I'd rather put in a solar panel and wire it to the battery blower.

 

Could the existing climate control system be modified to suck air from the car and blow it out the 'intake' vents? All the parts are already there, they just have to be told when to run in reverse. Photochromatic glass could be pretty handy, too.

 

Usless trash. I tried it. It doesn't have enough power
to circulate fresh air inside your car. Save your money
and leave your windows one or two inches ajar.

 

The local news here has a consumer reporter that buys things to try them out. They did this unit last week.

The conclusion was that it would lower the inside temp by about 6 degrees F. Not enough to make a significant difference in the 105F we've been seeing lately.

Driving with the windows down for a minute or so would probably blow all the hot air out and costs nothing. The A/C should kick in before that, so roll them up and away you go.

 

I had something like that for my old car. It sorta worked, but it used a cheap solar panel which stopped working after a while (due to the heat I suppose). Plus this requires parking so that the panel is in the sun. If it isn't then the fan doesn't run. At work I park my car so that the car is in the shade (from the building) in the afternoon.

Sorry, but I'm gonna pass on this.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ttabbal @ Jul 17 2006, 11:47 AM) [snapback]287578[/snapback]</div>

Same thing here. They indicated no short term difference and after several hours it was only a couple of degrees.

 

Great idea, but just not effective. I've had multiples of these. They are just not powerful enough to make much of a difference - and the photovoltaic cells have to be in direct sunlight (not diffuse or shadow). Save your money. Open a couple of windows just a bit.

 

Autocool Compaints <_<