How does the Prius a/c work in hot regions?

On the NC coast it gets in the high 90's consistently with high humidity. Not quite triple digits like you. I park in an open asphalt parking lot all day and the inside gets plenty hot. I have tinted windows and use a heat shield for the front windshield.

The AC works as well as any I have owned and cools the interior down quickly, especially after opening windows to let the hot air out. The variable speed compressor and fan works well to keep the inside cool. Even when in stop and go traffic with the engine turning off the AC works great.

 

It handles 105F here no problem, but your humidity would be a bigger load on the AC.

 

I am in the Mississippi Delta, we have 95 degree/ 95% humidity days for 4 months.
The A/C works better with window tinting, I am that guy always parked facing north.

 

Sounds like you're the perfect candidate for the solar roof. Which also comes with the (mediocre) remote A/C. (I say mediocre because of the many complaints that it'll only run for ~3 minutes, and people have complained that it won't activate more than about 50 feet from the car, and it stops when you open the door rather than running until you start the car.)

As others have mentioned, window tinting can be added to help. And the glass cuts around 50% of the solar heat; the windshield is the worst, letting 55% through. The Priuschat store also sells various heat shields (for all sides, if you want 'em) to reflect the sun back out.

That said, there IS a lot of glass. But it's always been my experience that EVERY car is uncomfortably and unavoidably hot when parked in the sun all day, and I don't notice the Prius getting hotter than any other car. But I've been in a few triple-digit + sunny situations, and the A/C does just fine. And since it can cool off a car after being parked in an area like that, it'll have no problems keeping it cool either.

 

I live near Albuquerque. It get up to 100 sometimes in the summer. In my opinion, the A/C in the Prius works great. :nod: I have added window tint which helps, and I use a sunshade in the front window when I park. The really nice thing about the A/C in the Prius is that it is electric and keeps working even when you are stopped in traffic.

 

My brother lives in Dallas area. When I told him I was considering a Prius, he said his many friends who drive them love them. Not one word about the a/c not working well, so I doubt it's a problem. I live in New Orleans, and didn't really think about that. Glad you brought it up.

 

Well, I live in the greater Houston area where the weather is generally more miserable than Dallas, my windows are not tinted and the AC works just fine- at least as good as any other car I've had that was the same size. I do intend to get the windows tinted though and I would recommend getting a reflective windshield screen to put up when you are going to leave the car parked in the sun for more than a half-hour at a time.

 

I'm in OKC and we also get the triple digits and the high humidity. I've had zero issues with the A/C doing its job. The dealer installed a slight tint on the windows and that makes all the difference. When parking in the sun, I just use a reflective wind shield screen. No biggie.

 

I live in South Florida and the ac works great. I was not a sweaty mess last summer. Definitely window tint the car. Every little bit helps!

 

Here in Phoenix, most cars come off the lot with the max tinting. My A/C worked fine last summer but I did notice the SOC would sometimes get down to 2 pips. I didn't let it bother me, but I will say the A/C worked just fine in 115 degree heat. Keep in mind that if you are parked in the sun, even the best auto A/Cs here take a good 5 to 7 minutes from start-up to cool off the cab. One thing I can say is don't use ECO mode on the hottest days - it really cuts down on the fan speed and A/C.

 

As others have said, window tint helps considerably. The A/C works very well here in South Tx. Very little impact on mileage as well. This applies to both G2 and G3 Prius.

 

Given everyone's heat tolerance varies, that's what I would do, test drive or borrow a Prius in the hottest day of summer and see if it's acceptable.

Regarding fuel economy, DOE tests in the AZ heat show a 8-10mpg swing from winter to summer due partly to the electrical AC running full time. The electrical AC is less efficient that the belt driven AC if it runs continously.

 

Use a windshield shade when parked for anything over xx minutes. Dealers have them especially made for Prius and others. They're about $30.

Boggles my mind how few people use windshield shades.

Not only keeps car cooler, saves your dash.

 

I will be facinated by your documentation of that 'fact'.

Air Conditioning and Hybrid Mileage | Hybrid Cars
is a press release by the DOE group you like indicating that the Prius is effected less than the Honda hybrids, and that "the rechargeable batteries lasted to 160,000 miles with no effect on fuel economy."
Gen III is more efficient yet. World Tourism: 2010 Prius first with ejector-cycle air conditioning
Denso Ejector Air Conditioning - autoevolution

 

Living in Bangkok where you use the air con 365 days a years, I've never had a problem with the AC in any of my cars including the Prius. I've lived here for 13 years and I can't recall ever having the AC turned off.

 

In the direct sunlight, it may depend on the color of the car. Our silver Gen III worked fine in the dry So California heat last Summer, but things might be different in a dark color and with higher humidity. It is worth mentioning that, in our mostly city driving, conservative use of the A/C (usually set at 74 degrees F) seemed to produced a 2 to 3 MPG hit.

 

It can easily get to 3 digits in F in Cambodia. What I do is never close the windows all the way (leave a bit of space between will help reduce the temp inside), just beware of sudden rain. Before I start engine and AC on, I usually open all the windows to let the hot air out, and AC works great that way. Make sure you do not really stay in Eco Mode, cause it seems to reduce the AC performance.