Anybody disappointed with 4xe a/c?

[jmj8355]

Hi all, is it just me or is our 4xe a/c seriously downgraded from the typical jl setup being all electric? Im im the midwest and heat indexes are well over 100 and letting my 4xe sit in a parking lot and become heat soaked takes a long time to recover from. Im coming from a jlur 3.6 and can tell you in same conditions i would have to turn the blower all the way down after several minutes because it was that cold. Now i have to run full blast and after about 15 minutes of driving do things get to the point of turning the blower down. It only becomes more noticeable for me in 90 plus temps.

i fully understand this may just be price if doing business with an all electric setup but i will say as somebody that typically runs hot that its a bit disappointing. I can’t imagine 4xe in florida or desert climate.

i also realize there is a line of thinking where i can just take the doors off and top and not worry about it but during heat waves i prefer the comfort of a/c.

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[N8213]

Had a 2.0t jlur, now have a 4xe.

Live in Charleston so pretty warm and humid. Can’t say I noticed much of a difference between the two.

I do like the remote start on the 4xe which we did not have on the 2.0. Arriving To a Precooled jeep is nice!

 

[jmj8355]

Live in Charleston so pretty warm and humid. Can’t say I noticed much of a difference between the two.

that is the other thing im unsure of. is the difference more so that im coming from 3.6 vs 2.0. Im not sure if the non 4xe systems are the same between 2.0 and 3.6 or if the 3.6 has a more robust hvac

 

[2018JLRUSellersremorse]

that is the other thing im unsure of. is the difference more so that im coming from 3.6 vs 2.0. Im not sure if the non 4xe systems are the same between 2.0 and 3.6 or if the 3.6 has a more robust hvac

I traded in my 2018 3.^ JLRU for my 4Xe and I am in the Dallas Texas area, I can't say I notice a difference. Both have severed me well in the summer.

 

[Old Dogger]

Don't know about the 4XE, But A/C's in our JKR and JLR with the 3.6 are just awesome. Plus we are in the Phoenix heat, and have already seen 114° this year.
We had a new Cadillac Escalade, and the A/C's in the Wranglers are way better..IMO

 

[Steemax]

It’s definitely much worse than our Mach E and previously owned Tacoma so I’m there with you on the A/C. Can’t imagine the rear vents are even useful.

 

[4xeRubicon]

I don’t notice any difference in AC performance from my 2019 JLU 2.0 to my 2021 JLU 4xe.

 

[Mgg253]

My AC kicks on the engine for the initial cooling period, the electric cooling by itself isn’t adequate on a hot day. It’s not as hot here, but honestly ive only used my AC a few times because I run top off a lot

 

[Bzinsky]

I seriously doubt the AC is any different in the 4xe. There’s only one way to make turn warm air into cold air, and that’s a with 2 heat exchangers and compressing refrigerant. So if there is any difference in the systems, it would only be the compressor being driven by an electric motor instead of the accessory belt.

AC does not really change when you buy an EV. The heating systems however, do change.

There are 3 ways to heat a car. There’s extracting heat through the engine coolant, which is how traditional ICE vehicles work. EV’s don’t have an engine so they can’t do this. So an EV can either use resistance heat, which is no different than a space heater or a hair dryer or a computer power supply they all produce exactly 3.41 btu’s per watt consumed (going off memory for that number could be a little off)
Then there heat pumps. Heat pumps are basically the same thing as AC, but they reverse the cycle. If you ever going outside your house while your AC is on, put your hand above the condenser and feel the fan blowing upwards. Even if it’s 100 degrees out, that fan will be blowing out air that’s 10-20 degrees warmer. It’s extracting heat from inside your house and expelling it outside. In heat pump mode, it is the exact opposite. It could be 15F out and if you have a good heat pump, you will feel air that’s like -5F being blown out of your condenser.

The problem with heat pumps, is that when you are heating, heating the inside of your house or car to 75 degrees when it’s 0 degrees outside, is a 75 degree temperature differential. It is very difficult for a heat pump to do this and typically only the high end super high efficiency heat pumps can handle this. When it gets too cold outside, most heat pumps simply switch to resistance heat. Heat pumps can be up to 5-6x as efficient as resistance heat, but it depends on the outside temp.

Ok that was quite the rant for a question on AC lol.

Our 4xe’s have electric resistance heat, AND traditional heat from the engine coolant. I believe only a very small number of EV’s use heat pumps. With the first one being introduced on the tesla model Y.

One thing I noticed, is if I forget I left the heat on if I’m driving around on a cold night, I go drive around the next day with the top down in EV mode. I forget I left the heat on. This is not normally a problem with most ICE cars, but it destroys the EV range of the 4xe because it’s running resistance heat. I think your average car needs typically use like 30-40k btu heaters, maybe more in wrangler. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the heater by itself could completely drain the 4xe battery in an hour.

 

[fogby]

The sky top is the only a/c needed at 9,500ft in CO.

 

[Odyssey USA]

The black hardtop is like a heat radiator, hot to the touch from the inside. My AC in my eTorque 2.0 is struggling in mid 90’s, low 100’s heat index.

 

[Deleted member 72291]

The 4xe is my first Jeep, and I have the SOT, but I can say the AC is significantly better than the Subaru I traded for the 4xe. I’ve heard people say the SOT makes the AC not work as well, but mine has been incredibly cold and powerful!

 

[dragoneggs]

I seriously doubt the AC is any different in the 4xe. There’s only one way to make turn warm air into cold air, and that’s a with 2 heat exchangers and compressing refrigerant. So if there is any difference in the systems, it would only be the compressor being driven by an electric motor instead of the accessory belt.

AC does not really change when you buy an EV. The heating systems however, do change.

There are 3 ways to heat a car. There’s extracting heat through the engine coolant, which is how traditional ICE vehicles work. EV’s don’t have an engine so they can’t do this. So an EV can either use resistance heat, which is no different than a space heater or a hair dryer or a computer power supply they all produce exactly 3.41 btu’s per watt consumed (going off memory for that number could be a little off)
Then there heat pumps. Heat pumps are basically the same thing as AC, but they reverse the cycle. If you ever going outside your house while your AC is on, put your hand above the condenser and feel the fan blowing upwards. Even if it’s 100 degrees out, that fan will be blowing out air that’s 10-20 degrees warmer. It’s extracting heat from inside your house and expelling it outside. In heat pump mode, it is the exact opposite. It could be 15F out and if you have a good heat pump, you will feel air that’s like -5F being blown out of your condenser.

The problem with heat pumps, is that when you are heating, heating the inside of your house or car to 75 degrees when it’s 0 degrees outside, is a 75 degree temperature differential. It is very difficult for a heat pump to do this and typically only the high end super high efficiency heat pumps can handle this. When it gets too cold outside, most heat pumps simply switch to resistance heat. Heat pumps can be up to 5-6x as efficient as resistance heat, but it depends on the outside temp.

Ok that was quite the rant for a question on AC lol.

Our 4xe’s have electric resistance heat, AND traditional heat from the engine coolant. I believe only a very small number of EV’s use heat pumps. With the first one being introduced on the tesla model Y.

One thing I noticed, is if I forget I left the heat on if I’m driving around on a cold night, I go drive around the next day with the top down in EV mode. I forget I left the heat on. This is not normally a problem with most ICE cars, but it destroys the EV range of the 4xe because it’s running resistance heat. I think your average car needs typically use like 30-40k btu heaters, maybe more in wrangler. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the heater by itself could completely drain the 4xe battery in an hour.

Interesting discussion. So in a nutshell, you're saying that in cooling mode there is no difference between 3.6L and 4xe?

To the OP... maybe park next to a non 4xe and (make a friend) in a parking lot at your local Home Depot or whatever and see you can test/compare their A/C?

I know, a bit bold, but potential an interesting encounter... I think I could either do that or go to a nearby dealer and try to do the same (less risk/fun).

 

[BigMaCro]

I've noticed that "auto" and remote start doesn't turn the fan all the way up... Maybe programmed to conserve power? As far as cooling capacity goes, I figure its a fairly standard 240v compressor that could be outside your house right now ... Sure sounds the same, eh?

 

[Bzinsky]

Interesting discussion. So in a nutshell, you're saying that in cooling mode there is no difference between 3.6L and 4xe?

No, I’m saying I doubt there would be. Unless the 3.6 uses a belt driven compressor. Then the 4xe would just use an electric compressor instead. It makes little difference other than the belt driven one is less efficient.

Could they have specced it slightly differently? Sure.

I’m mostly pointing out your notion of EV using this weird electric cooling is not the way to think of it. It’s just an good old fashion AC system that uses an electric motor for the compressor, just like every other AC you experience in your life that isn’t on a car.

you testing it with another car doesnt mean much because we don’t know if your AC is functioning properly. I know I am extremely pleased with the 4xe AC. But I’ve only owned it for 10 days now. It was cold as ice in the cabin driving 80mph on a 90 degree day. I have also sat in it stationary on a hot day for 20 minutes. The whole cabin cooled down in a couple minutes.

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