Parking Air Conditioning?

[rippers]

I was watching the review on the T7 Californa on CarWow with Mat Watson, he was showing the camping panel touch screen and he said that in camping mode you could use the air conditioning. Is this a new thing or is he just waffling? He implies it will work off the battery? Game changer for when we go to Spain and South of France!

10mins in

 

[status.six]

I saw this too. My initial thoughts are that he’s got his wires crossed. I would think the PHEV version will do this as it’s pretty common for them to be able to heat and cool when parked, drawing power from the traction battery. I have this on my BMW and it’s very handy parked sat in the car waiting etc

It’s not impossible the electric a/c compressor could be driven from the leisure battery in the petrol/diesel but I very much doubt it. Would be good if it did though!

 

[WelshGas]

I was watching the review on the T7 Californa on CarWow with Mat Watson, he was showing the camping panel touch screen and he said that in camping mode you could use the air conditioning. Is this a new thing or is he just waffling? He implies it will work off the battery? Game changer for when we go to Spain and South of France!

10mins in

On the Hybrid version. Works on my Hybrid Multivan.

 

[rippers]

I don't think it was a PHEV in the vid, and it did appear as an option on the camping screen that he demo'd.. to good to be true
Can anyone with a T7 Cali confirm??

 

[omelius]

There is already owner manual for new california out. You can see it online or using california app whe you use any new california VIN. I used VIN WV2 ZZZ STX SH0 125 60 which is for TDI Ocean and there is nothing about air conditioning with engine switched off. Manual is valid for all model types and versions of new cali model and model year.

 

[Dodge1311]

It’s the same as in the 6.1 when you switch it on when parked it blows outside air into the van same as the old “ventilation” mode. Works quite well and comes in the rear vents also.

 

[ParachuteMan]

That’s what the second sliding door is for….

 

[rippers]

So two things.. I went to see a the New California in the flesh. If you press the air con button on the camping control it tells you to turn on the engine

Secondary I will definitely not buy the the New California, VW have ruined it. Far too small everywhere. Height, width, seats, living space, beds, door openings, cupboards it was so disappointing. The only positive was the lack of handbrake.

 

[Dodge1311]

So two things.. I went to see a the New California in the flesh. If you press the air con button on the camping control it tells you to turn on the engine

Secondary I will definitely not buy the the New California, VW have ruined it. Far too small everywhere. Height, width, seats, living space, beds, door openings, cupboards it was so disappointing. The only positive was the lack of handbrake.

So two more things if you switch on ventilation or heating from camping control it doesn’t require the ignition to be switched on. Controlling the air-con from the rear is for rear passengers not for campers hence the requirement for the ignition. One nice feature is the driver has one touch control for ventilation and interior monitoring to be on or off every time you park which is a great step if you pop to the shop with a pet or a child in the back.

 

[omelius]

I have confirmation from dealer that PHEV version has air conditioning that can cool and also heat, it is operated from high voltage battery, so in camp you can plug in and use air conditioning, it is however different plug than that one for leisure battery, so there are two independent electric systems in car. This air conditioning can be also operated using we connect app. Beside of that there is also a possibility of petrol heater (7VC), that can be operated only from inside of van. So for me this is game changer and i decided to buy PHEV instead of TDI version.

 

[WelshGas]

I have confirmation from dealer that PHEV version has air conditioning that can cool and also heat, it is operated from high voltage battery, so in camp you can plug in and use air conditioning, it is however different plug than that one for leisure battery, so there are two independent electric systems in car. This air conditioning can be also operated using we connect app. Beside of that there is also a possibility of petrol heater (7VC), that can be operated only from inside of van. So for me this is game changer and i decided to buy PHEV instead of TDI version.

As on the Hybrid Multivan. You can set the AirCon to run from the EV battery in the Infotainment System. Thereafter when parked it will run for 30 mins at a time so has to be switched On every 30 mins until the computer says " That's enough ". It will not allow you to drop the EV battery below a certain level.

 

[omelius]

Do you have any statistics how many times you can switch it on with full battery? Can it be switched on indefinitely when your van is plugged in?

 

[WelshGas]

Do you have any statistics how many times you can switch it on with full battery? Can it be switched on indefinitely when your van is plugged in?

I believe you can use it indefinitely, depending on battery charge status, but you are still restricted to 30 mins each time. They might have changed the programming on the California version but on the Multivan it is 30 mins x X times until computer says No as EV battery is at limit.
I've run it 8 times, so 4 hrs on the drive

 

[vbk1975]

Do you have any statistics how many times you can switch it on with full battery? Can it be switched on indefinitely when your van is plugged in?

A lot will depend on what the external temperature is and what temperature you are trying to target internally.

The Electric Air Compressors are rated at about 2-3KW and with Fans and control modules you can probably add another 500w. The PHEV battery is about 20KWh. So it should give a reasonable amount of usage, but will be dramatically less in high temps.

Some of the later posts talk about having the van plugged in to use the AC indefinitely. I can’t be certain, but I would be surprised if the PHEV uses the EV chargjng port as the campsite hookup for numerous reasons, both electrically and the fact that most campsites will want an extra payment if they think a hookup being being used EV charging.

A

 

[omelius]

I don't think anyone at the camp will care whether you plug into the campsite hookup or the EV hookup. You pay for electricity and have a limited amperage, so you can split the cable into two and connect both.

 

[vbk1975]

I don't think anyone at the camp will care whether you plug into the campsite hookup or the EV hookup. You pay for electricity and have a limited amperage, so you can split the cable into two and connect both.

All the main UK camping clubs charge a surcharge for EV charging and some sites forbid it. I know some sites in Europe are metered but is rare in the UK for sites to have meters and they have 13-16A supplies. If I owned a site, I would definitely be charging extra for EV cars. Medium sized EV on a good domestic rate (not a night rate because a campsite doesn’t work that way) probably costs about £15 to charge.

 

[omelius]

It doesn't make sense to pay extra for EV charging when you've already paid for the campsite hookup. Electricity is electricity—whether it's powering a caravan’s air conditioning or charging a PHEV with a 20 kWh battery. Campsites provide a fixed amperage supply, and as long as you're within that limit, you should be able to use it however you need. Plus, with some modifications you can set up the charger after the campsite plug, keeping it hidden inside the van, making it function just like any other appliance. If campsites are worried about excessive usage, a metered system for all users would be a fairer approach than singling out EV owners for extra charges.

 

[vbk1975]

It doesn't make sense to pay extra for EV charging when you've already paid for the campsite hookup. Electricity is electricity—whether it's powering a caravan’s air conditioning or charging a PHEV with a 20 kWh battery. Campsites provide a fixed amperage supply, and as long as you're within that limit, you should be able to use it however you need. Plus, with some modifications you can set up the charger after the campsite plug, keeping it hidden inside the van, making it function just like any other appliance. If campsites are worried about excessive usage, a metered system for all users would be a fairer approach than singling out EV owners for extra charges.

I agree metering is the fairest method, but that doesn’t seem to be the way the UK club sites are going even after new equipment has been recently installed. They seem to be pushing for standalone EV chargers. There is no doubt if more people charge their cars onsite via the hookup, then sites will see their overall electricity bill go up as the average caravan / campervan just doesn’t have that level of consumption and they pass the increase on to everyone if they don’t have meters (as per your point). I have owned EVs and PHEVs so I am no way against them!

A

 

[status.six]

I believe you can use it indefinitely, depending on battery charge status, but you are still restricted to 30 mins each time. They might have changed the programming on the California version but on the Multivan it is 30 mins x X times until computer says No as EV battery is at limit.
I've run it 8 times, so 4 hrs on the drive

On your PHEV Multivan are you able to tell it to recharge the HV battery to full using the petrol engine. Or will it only change from at external supply? Obviously this will be at the expense of economy but in a pinch it’s a nice feature to have. Most PHEVs used to do this but it’s being phased out to force people to charge from the mains.

I’m thinking it would be handy to top up the HV battery when arriving at a camp location in hot weather in the summer, would allow for a good few bursts of 30 min cooling when needed.

 

[WelshGas]

On your PHEV Multivan are you able to tell it to recharge the HV battery to full using the petrol engine. Or will it only change from at external supply? Obviously this will be at the expense of economy but in a pinch it’s a nice feature to have. Most PHEVs used to do this but it’s being phased out to force people to charge from the mains.

I’m thinking it would be handy to top up the HV battery when arriving at a camp location in hot weather in the summer, would allow for a good few bursts of 30 min cooling when needed.

On my Multivan - No.
But you can select, when running in Full Hybrid mode , how much charge you keep as a baseline.
So on my recent trip to London I selected 50% and it kept the EV battery at 50% so I arrived in London after 175 mile drive with the EV battery at 50% charge.