Prime Heat Pump Questions...

Defrosting will start the ICE as it says in the manual.

 

The heat pump works well down to +40F so far this winter. It produces heat faster than a conventional heater that draws from the engine coolant. The book says that the engine will start at +14F to provide more heat.

 

Heat pumps lose their heating efficiency around 35F. Above that they are supposed to be more efficient than a standard heater. In houses they supposedly have some heat pumps that can heat a home down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit efficiently.

 

This one isn't an ordinary heat pump, it's a gas injected heat pump. That enables it to work effectively down to 14F.

 

I assume the heating and air-conditioning are the same in the Prime, as in my 2016 model Prius? It hasn't been cold enough here yet to really blast the heater. But the defroster seems to work pretty well when I need it.

But I have an odd occurrence, if I leave the vents open over night, the next morning there will be a large wet spot on the inside of my windshield. That's never happened in any other car I've owned. If I press the air recycle button, everything's OK and there won't be a wet spot in the morning. Another Prius oddity to add to my list...

 

Yes, it is a fogged-over, big wet spot. And the defroster doesn't help at all so I have to wipe it off with a towel.
It's wet, but it doesn't appear to be running down the inside of the windshield. But it's definitely wet. Very strange. I've never seen that before on any other car. This is my first Prius.

I just have to always remember to press the air recycle button (vents closed) before I get out of the car in the evening. When I do that, everything is fine in the morning.

 

That's a normal procedure up north, to avoid the interior frosting over while you're parked.

For me at the work ramp, I just leave the window open after flashing my badge to flush out the moisture.

 

Daily temperatures are mid 60s to mid 70s. And we don't have any humidity here in Southern California.
I never use the "auto" setting on my air conditioning. I like to adjust the fan speed and temperature myself.
When I did try the auto, it always turned off when I turn down the fan speed, so what use is it? Keeps turning off. So I just do everything manual.

Anyway, I'm not too concerned about the inside wet spot. As long as I keep the vents closed at night, everything is OK. And I usually keep them closed all the time when I'm driving. I don't like the dust coming inside the car. It's very dusty here from lack of rain. (This is my first Prius, and there are 100 strange and odd things about this car! )

 

If you're adjusting the fan speed, you aren't using Auto.

Just leave it in auto and adjust the temperature setting. That will change both the temperature of the air coming out and the fan speed at the same time.

 

Thanks Lee. On my Gen4, if touch the fan speed or the temperature setting, the auto shuts itself off.
And I didn't like using auto because the fan would always go to a very high speed. Anyway, it's no big deal. It's very easy to just do things manually. I like to keep things simple.

 

Then it's broken. Doesn't do that on my Gen2, didn't do it on either the Gen3 or Gen4 I test drove, and it didn't do that on the Prime I drove last night.

It's quite a nice feature as it will automatically reduce fan speed and moderate air temperature as the cabin approaches the set temperature.

When I'm cooling (in the summer), it's common for me to set it to around 78 degrees or so, and maybe decrease it from there a bit as the cabin temperature approaches the set temperature and the fan slows down. In the winter, it's common for me to start it around 68 degrees or so and maybe increase it to 70 or so as the cabin approaches the set temperature.

 

Well, that's OK. There are so many weird things about this car, I will just leave it as is. I like the fan speed on very low, I never liked it blasting when in Auto. I am OK with the way it is. I'm an old-school guy, and I like adjusting everything myself. I don't use auto headlights, auto locks, auto cruise control, or auto air-conditioning. What can I say, I am 62 years old and set in my ways and happy with it.

When I bought my Prius, I wanted it to be as simple as possible. The only accessory I have is the navigation. Which I rarely ever use. I guess I could've just bought the basic TWO model and been fine with that. And saved a lot more money.

 

So I guess below +14 F pre-heat when not plugged in isn't possible right ?

 

On a 2016 Prius, adjusting the temp obviously will not kick off the 'auto' .. but adjusting the fan speed or vent positions will. Perhaps pressing AC will as well. But temp, no.

What does 'gas injected' heat pump mean? Gasoline? Or do they mean some freon trickery?
EDIT: It's not gasoline. It's freon trickery thankfully. Wonder if gas injection/vapor injection will come to residential ductless heatpump units too for more efficiency.

 

touching anything but the temp kicks me out of auto on my gen 3.