I'm more curious if there's a way to turn on the AC automatically when you are near the car since it uses the Smart Key Remote just like how it unlocks... Does any one know if this is doable/option at the service dealer?
no brainer there. how would it be done? warm air rises so would gather at the top of the car. what would be required to pull air DOWN to an exhaust vent? having a fan above i would think, would create all kinds of noise. same with a fan that has half enough airflow to pull hot air down and out. i live in the Pacific Northwest, there has been no leak issues whatsoever in my sunroof, but condensation can be a problem. (actually minor, i wipe it with a towel if it builds up too much and would not happen much if i left sunroof closed, but i appreciate the extra light especially this far north) to have venting near the roof line would be an invitation to disaster in my mind. last night in our area we had a Pacific Storm with 50 mph gusts. that creates leaks in a lot of situations that would normally be considered safe also, i think it very presumptuous to think that Toyota engineers had not addressed the easy ways first
you are kidding right? FYI; see that button labeled "A/C?" on your Fob if you mean you want it to turn on automatically??? no way. if available, the battery in your fob will need to be replaced at noon every day.
I live in the north west, and the solar panel is nearly useless and does not operate most of the year. Why they make it so that ambient light contributes to recharging the battery, at least, I have no idea.
well i don t know other than i was sitting in my car the other day at lunch reading a book and the fan came on. since it was 45º outside, i decided to turn off the solar panel. was not particularly bright out, in fact it was gray with only partial filtered sun.
Had my Prius Itech for a few hot days now. My thoughts so far on the keep it cool features. Solar Roof - marginal her in Oz as you would almost need a hurricane wind blowing through the car to cope with our sunshine. Might be useful in marginal conditions hence I have left the button pushed in permanently. Moon Roof - now this is worthwhile, very hot here today and I have left the car parked with the roof cracked open to the first stage so hot air can escape. Will open it fully when I drive off to quickly get rid of heat buildup. Remote AirCon - my first thought was how much good can 3 minutes of aircon do. New morning routine is to put the dog out in his yard. Turn on AirCon as I walk back into the house. Leave it going while I clean my teeth and pick up my bag and by then about 3 minutes has passed so I get into the car not long after the aircon has turned off again. Now a button on the remote to open the moonroof would be just about perfect, even better connect it to a phone so I can SMS the car to turn on the aircon, open the moonroof etc as I leave my desk. David
Same as heated seats. They're useless for half the year. I'm sure there's more use if you live in the LFV. I'm further north and I found it very useful in the summer. 30°C and no sunshade and it was quite cool inside. It was originally designed to charge the battery. They ran into some issues.
Even if it was originally designed to charge the battery, I welcome the final purpose. When I was living up north (12 years ago), I bought a black car and no window tint. Nice and toasty in the middle of winter with a full sun. Now in TX, that same car easily heats to 175 F (80 C for you Yankees) in the summer heat of south Texas. Before Christmas I will be (hopefully) accepting delivery of a IV, Sandy Beach, with solar and tinted windows. Between solar and remote AC, I am anticipating a much cooler summer. Granted, I accept that it won't be ambient, but getting into a car that is 120 F is better than 175 F. So, to get back to topic.....IT BETTER WORK!!!
that is great and also fabulous..even Even if it was originally designed to charge the battery it is also expensive ?
It works! It's at its very best in temps up to 80ish F. Then the margin between inside/outside temps increases but it is still SIGNIFICANTLY less than without solar.Remote a/c may be a bit of a gimmick, but, given some sun, the solar fans work as intended. Worth it? Depends on climate -- and your tolerance for sitting on a hot seat.
Re: Solar Roof - Does it work? Seems to. Toyota suuuure makes a lot of money on it!!! Can't say if it does anything to cool the car though.
Well it's like leaving the windows fully opened but keeping the UV properties (so your seats and dashboard won't fade as quickly). The Remote A/C will help further cool the car but the range on the fob is a bit short.
I like the solar roof because in Florida it's almost always working. You also enter a cooler interior then not having it so even if that is a marginal gain... I'm all for it. Now that A/C button on the fob is useless. If im in range then its another 5 steps to the car and the minute you open the door a/c is disabled. I would have appreciated the door not disabling the A/C portion.
