Based on what our Spark EV reports (either 0 or 1 kW power drain when sitting still with AC on), the AC compressor and cabin air fan uses less than 1kW. So, 6 hours of AC with the car doing nothing else would be less than 6 kWh, or <10% of the battery. Of course, it's going to depend upon the set temperature and how hot it is outside, whether the car is in the sun or not, etc... exactly how much energy it ends up taking.Can we predict how expensive it would be to the battery to run the AC on low for 6 hours? Will there be any risk to doing this?
I have heard far more about Tesla charging stations than any other brands.
Not that you're wrong, but the OP didn't say anything about "idling" or the mode he wanted to have the car in, so I'm not sure how this is relevant. Clearly you can have the car sitting there, powered up and with the AC on as long as you want, as is the case for our Spark. Even though the car is "powered up" it's really not using any power for anything but the AC: lights, dash, etc. use <<1 kW.EVs don't "idle" in the usual sense. The drive system isn't active if you sit there just running the HVAC. The only real obstacle to doing this is you would undoubtedly have to remember to have the car in "Ready" mode (or just call it idling, if you like) to keep the accessory battery fully charged. Maybe GM will fix this by making sure the car charges the accessory system fully in "Acc" mode, but so far the Prius and Leaf don't do that at all well - Acc mode shouldn't be used for more than a minute or two, if at all.
This isn't a problem that is specific to EVs or hybrids. Any car left in Accessory mode with things like the AC system on, or even just the radio, or headlights, runs the risk of running down the 12V battery. In the case of the Prius, when you are in Accessory mode, the high-voltage battery is disconnected from the system, much like having the engine off in a normal car.The OP presumably named the thread, right? Anyway, my point is that whether or not you can do this may depend on what mode the car is in. Hopefully GM has corrected the problems with Accessory mode that Toyota and Nissan have created.
The OP did more than name the thread, he wrote a post, and neither says anything about an accessory mode, which simply doesn't exist on these cars. There is no "accessory mode" in our Spark EV, and according to the manual, the Bolt is exactly the same:The OP presumably named the thread, right? Anyway, my point is that whether or not you can do this may depend on what mode the car is in. Hopefully GM has corrected the problems with Accessory mode that Toyota and Nissan have created.
I was responding to the "idling" part, not knowing that they have apparently eliminated Accessory mode for GM EVs. As you can see (?), the word "idle" is right in the thread title. Let's not turn this forum into Usenet, eh? I'm glad that running the A/C with the car sitting still will be easy and foolproof.Not that you're wrong, but the OP didn't say anything about "idling" or the mode he wanted to have the car in, so I'm not sure how this is relevant.
OK, glad I could help you understand how these cars work. I believe the information the OP asked for is back in post #9 .I was responding to the "idling" part, not knowing that they have apparently eliminated Accessory mode for GM EVs. As you can see (?), the word "idle" is right in the thread title. Let's not turn this forum into Usenet, eh? I'm glad that running the A/C with the car sitting still will be easy and foolproof.