Climate control on any car is a valued feature. Much like the other systems of a vehicle, it is a crucial inclusion. So, what is climate control?
Climate control is an improved form of air conditioning system that gives you advanced control of your car’s temperature in any weather condition.
Not long ago, having an air conditioning feature in your car was a great deal. Today, however, A/C is standard equipment on almost every vehicle produced, while climate control is a premium feature. Cars specced with climate control are typically more expensive than those equipped with basic air conditioning systems.
Difference between A/C and Climate Control
Some people think that A/C and climate control are the same, which is incorrect.
The traditional air conditioning system cools the air inside the cabin of your car, regardless of climate conditions outside.
Climate Control allows you to precisely set the exact air temperature in the cabin, sometimes even to half-degree accuracy. You can achieve this accuracy by using a feedback loop /closed-loop control system. For instance, if you set the air temperature at 18° C, the system will generate a closed-loop to maintain the temperature at that specified value.
To maintain the temperature at this value, it adjusts some aspects such as the fan speed or sunlight detectors in advanced systems. The fan speed increases once the system detects temperature rising to allow for a higher rate of air cooling. The sunlight detector, on the other hand, determines the heat levels entering the car as a result of radiation. It adjusts the A/C to minimize the heat lag once it detects high levels of heat.
If you reside and commute in an environment with a stable climate, you only need to set the temperature once. For the rest of the time, the computer will maintain the temperature at the specified value.
Climate Control in Cars
Advanced climate control systems automatically change the car’s climate to your desired temperature and cabin environment. It measures weather conditions such as heat outside, humidity inside the vehicle, and non-weather aspects such as the car’s speed and its direction. The system uses the recorded data and keeps the cabin conditions at the pre-set value.
With this system, you can control the temperatures inside the cabin regardless of the outside environment. It does not only provide the desired temperature conditions for the car occupants but also allows you to control the airflow as well as its distribution and circulation.
Some systems come with defroster nozzles to deal with the fogging effect in the windscreen and side windows. Others provide dual-zone climate control alongside an automatic recirculation mode.
Features of the Climate Control System
Car-integrated sensors work in tandem with the automatic climate control system to gauge the quality of the cabin air. The system regulates temperature by factoring in outdoor and indoor conditions as well as the coded air quality options.
Car manufacturers use proprietary monikers to refer to the climate control system in their cars. Mercedes, for instance, refer to their automatic climate control system as Thermotronic. For high-end carmakers, they advance their climate control system even further, as will be seen below.
Guide on Using Climate Control Effectively
- At all times, clear the front grill of anything that blocks it to enable the air conditioner to work effectively.
- Don’t make a habit of using ‘Fresh-Air’ mode unless the situation demands it.
- When using the A/C, set it to recirculating mode.
Here is How to Set Your Desired Temperature
Choose the temperature value that suits you and then key it into the climate control system.
Press the AUTO button. It is usually centrally located, although its location varies depending on the car model. The system will adjust all the factors affecting the temperature, such as fan speed and airflow distribution, to attain the specified value.
An adjustment in the temperature will reflect in the AUTO mode, and the system will remain active. If you adjust the rest of the aspects such as fan speed, the component will jump into manual mode.
How to Turn Off the Climate Control
Unlike most computerized systems that have a dedicated ‘Off’ button, the automatic climate control system does not have an ‘off’ switch. The system will remain active as it maintains your set temperature value.
However, an adjustment to the other components involved in temp regulation will result in that part reverting to manual mode until you reset it using the AUTO button again.
Recirculation and Defrosting
Recirculation helps retain the air inside your car, with only minimal quantity escaping out of the cabin. It is useful, especially when you need to cool down your vehicle quickly as it circulates air that is already fresh or when you are driving through an environment with an undesired smell.
The recirculation button is the button that has an arrow that appears to be tracing a circular path. Pressing that button will turn on the mode. You need to apply recirculation in cold weather since humidity trapped inside the car leads to foggy windows.
When the condition outside is hot, press the recirculation button to cool the car down.
For defrost, there are two buttons. The trapezoidal-shaped button activates a blast of air that defrosts the windshield. The rectangular-shaped button is mainly for defrosting the rear window. The Max Defrost button, which is optional, redirects all the resources to defrost.
Back when not all cars had air conditioning, people used the heater to defrost the windshield. Now that most cars have an A/C feature, the heater concept – which is a holdover from those days – is passé. Instead, use the front defrost button to get the task done.
Some cars pack filtration and scent systems. The filtration system gets rid of any pollen particles in the incoming air. Another close system is Tesla’s Bioweapon mode, which eliminates chemical compounds like sarin and VX.
In other cars, the incoming air gets scented. BMW Alpina B7s and Mercedes S Class are some examples.
How ‘Zone’ Climate Control Works
Advanced technologies for controlling car climate introduced 'zoned’ climate control. This new system allows car occupants to set their desired temperature that will only affect their seats. Each area in the specific zones has a separate sensor that detects the current temperature of only that area.
This system comes along with a computer that controls the air system within the zone by controlling the fan speed, air temperature, and airflow distribution.
1. Dual-zone climate control
This system has two temperature controls, one for the left and the other for the right. There are two controllers as well each on either side of the dashboard. In some cars, the system will limit the temperature on one side relative to the other.
2. Three-zone climate control
As the name suggests, this system has three zones, each with independent temp control. Two of the zones are on the front (left and right) while one is at the back (passengers area).
3. Four-zone climate control
Found in luxury cars such as the Mercedes S class, this system has four zones, i.e., one for each seat in the car. Just like three-zone systems, the driver has control over the rear cabin temperatures.
These systems additionally have a 'SYNC' button which allows you to set a uniform temperature throughout the car.