[Crowley51]

I was looking at getting a 50e and was wondering how well the ac and heater works? In the winter it can get subzero and in the summer we usually get a few weeks over a 100. Also what happens on a long trip when you use up or deplete the phev battery does the climate system still work or does it use the gas engine to heat and cool the car. Is it true the engine will not charge the phev battery?

[TurtleBoy]

Welcome to the forum. I will let others tel their experience with the HVAC, you will likely hear from those that say it is poor and those that say it is wonderful.

It is not possible to deplete the battery, it will always be charged to keep a minimum amount so electric Assist is always available. The engine definitely charges the battery.

There is also Battery Hold which you can enable so it keeps a charge to be used for preconditioning.

[rexus300]

So far I'm very impressed with the AC on my 50e. I'm fussy about heat and I prefer cold days but that being said the AC is very cold at 68 degrees and less with medium fan speed. If I need more then I just switch out of auto and manually select the dashboard vents. The main battery never gets depleted but there's an aux battery for general use so you never worry about that as it will still supply the AC and heat.

I live in Michigan so it can get to single digits in winter but base on the current experience and the what others are saying about the previous 45e heating I'm not worried.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by rexus300

So far I'm very impressed with the AC. I'm fussy about heat and I prefer cold days but that being said the AC is very cold at 68 degrees and less with medium fan speed. If I need more then I just switch out of auto and manually select the dashboard vents. The main battery never gets depleted but there's an aux battery for general use so you never worry about that as it will still supply the AC and heat.

this is incorrect. while there is a 12V battery in addition to the HV battery, the 12V battery doesn’t supply power to the HVAC system. that system is completely powered by the HV battery; the voltage is stepped down through the DC-DC converter

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by Crowley51

I was looking at getting a 50e and was wondering how well the ac and heater works? In the winter it can get subzero and in the summer we usually get a few weeks over a 100. Also what happens on a long trip when you use up or deplete the phev battery does the climate system still work or does it use the gas engine to heat and cool the car. Is it true the engine will not charge the phev battery?

since the 50e just released, none have gone through a full winter season yet, but given the design is based off its predecessor the 45e, subzero temps have caused some issues with the electric side of things such as the HV battery being cold-soaked to the point electric power and HVAC are deactivated until it warms up. you won’t be able to precondition when the HV battery is too cold even if it’s fully charged. that being said, it’s possible you may not even have an issue

regarding high temperatures, one must make an active effort in preserving HV battery capacity if you want to precondition

if you’re wondering if the engine charges the HV battery to a user-preference level, it doesn’t. as mentioned, it charges the HV battery to a minimal level in order to maintain operations dependent on it, such as the HVAC

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

if you’re wondering if the engine charges the HV battery to a user-preference level, it doesn’t. as mentioned, it charges the HV battery to a minimal level in order to maintain operations dependent on it, such as the HVAC

Are you just referring to the removal of Battery Control? With Battery Hold the engine, if needed, will keep the battery charged to the level when it was activated right?

[jad03060]

Where I live in NH, with my 2021 X5 45e, it's been through both some 100-degree days, and the coldest I remember was about -12F. I have not had any issues with the vehicle's HVAC. If you can, it's better to precondition the cabin prior to leaving, especially if it is plugged in at the time, but it hasn't been an issue for me. I also have the heated seats, which takes some of the impact off of the cabin heaters at a cost of range. It's probably better for range to use the seat heaters so you're comfortable versus getting the cabin toasty. As long as you have either gasoline or a charged HVB, you'll have heat, but it is entirely electrically powered. When necessary, it will run the engine and turn the EV motor into an alternator to keep things powered.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by TurtleBoy

Are you just referring to the removal of Battery Control? With Battery Hold the engine, if needed, will keep the battery charged to the level when it was activated right?

yes, I was referring to the old Battery Control function that can charge the HV battery up to 100% if the user wanted. (whenever someone asks about the engine charging the HV battery, I tend to think they expect charging it up to full as we do with our smartphones. plugging in is synonymous to charging, and doing so to hold a battery level is a foreign concept to most.)

you already correctly mentioned how Battery Hold utilizes the engine to maintain the battery level

[allinon72]

If you let the car do its thing, the HVAC functions like any other car. If you're on a long trip, the car will of course use the battery to power these functions, and the battery management will turn the engine on as necessary to maintain enough battery function and thus maintain the HVAC functionality. There's no manual action required from the driver and you'll never "lose" HVAC. The only sacrifice is if you're in Eco Pro mode.

In summary, drive the car, let the systems do the work.

[jkramerXXX7]

Living in SC with frequent 90+ heat, I've found the 50e to keep the cabin quite cool. I generally leave on 72 auto and let the car do its thing. I mostly use Hybrid mode and Battery Hold mode. My wife actually prefers the X5 50e AC over her 2023 X7.

[aaaaaaaaaz]

q - anyone have a rough idea how many minute of pre-condition heating or cooling can the car do with each percentage of battery level?

Say using battery hold at the end of trip to get the car to 8-10% - how long of pre-condition can the car do assuming at max AC output?

[jad03060]

The amount of energy needed to precondition isn't a fixed value...it depends on the starting condition, and how far it needs to change the interior temperature. You can move more BTUs per watt when cooling than you can with heating which is a 1:1 ratio (cooling can give maybe 3x more BTUs per watt than resistance heating is).

IOW, warming the vehicle cold soaked to zero F will be a bigger hit than say cooling from 100F, especially if you have seat heaters activated with a climate rule.

My guess, about 3-5% of battery capacity is probably a good guestimate, but I usually precondition while plugged in, so it's hard to say when it isn't getting power put back in from the EVSE. Note, it runs for 30-minutes once activated unless you get in an start your trip sooner. If it's mild out, you may only need a few minutes to take the edge off, rather than the full 30-minutes whereas, you might need all of the 30-minutes in the winter so you can clear snow and ice off.