Hello, I got Prius 2013 with Advanced package (with Dynamic Cruise control etc.). I am having hard time starting the A/C remotely, even after I followed the manual. I pressed A/C button on my key fob, but the AC doesn't turn on. I wonder if anyone here had a similar issue and they were able to find the right way to do it. Thanks!
It's tricky and sometimes wouldn't switch on. The outside air temp needs to be warmer then the a/c temp is set to or it wouldn't turn on. It has worked for me with my a/c temp set at 70 to 75 F. and the outside temp was 80 to 90 F. while I was plugged in. It's finicky for sure.
I have it on my 2010 ATP and it works as advertised. It is a little bit of a disappointment only in regards to the fact that if you have parked the car with even close to a full charge reading on the hybrid battery, in the really hot weather the a/c system does draw quite a lot of power from the battery in a short period of time. The system will only run for about 3 minutes. This is in terms of human comfort, not going to make a huge difference as things heat up quickly once the a/c is stopped in hot sunny weather... and it will shut down as soon as you open a door even if less than 3 minutes have passed or you still have a good amount of charge left in the big battery. Where it does help, is on those occasions where you would like the car to start getting that colder air out of the ducts sooner... running it by pressing and HOLDING the fob button until you hear the beep and see the parking lights flash to indicate it has started remote a/c dumps that super hot air out of the ductwork, and gets the evaporator in the car pre-chilled so that you don't wait quite as long as normal. The solar powered roof running that interior fan helps in this regard as well, but, when it is stinking hot and or humid the outside air thing doesn't hold a candle to the ability of a/c to remove heat and moisture from the air. When parked in shade or an underground lot heated by thousands of parked cars with their hot engines warming things up down there the solar roof has no contribution to make and that remote a/c as you approach makes a greater contribution as it doesn't fight the solar load it would face if parked topside in the sun. So again... in certain situations it is more than a neat trick, it helps. Roland
Add to that, the car must be locked. And finally, you need to press and HOLD the A/C button on the fob.
You need to have charge in the big battery for the remote A/C to work. And the solar panel option is not available on the PiP.
... only if you have an Advanced. The climate control app requires the built-in SafetyConnect cell phone, which only the Advanced has.
It never gets warm enough "up there" to need A/C, right? But seriously, you're not missing much. I've used the Entune-based version when in the high desert (ambient around 95F) and even running 8-9 minutes, as soon as you open the doors the A/C cuts off. The car is cooler than it would have been, but nowhere near as cool as when the A/C is running in "Ready" mode.
But less-seriously, what we'd call "uncomfortable heat" is probably what you'd consider nice weather.