Defogger

[ActivatorHenry]

Last weekend my wife and I took a trip to the gulf coast and it was a very relaxing experience, but I noticed something I wasn't sure, so I hope to get an answer here. As you know, the area is quite humid so I turned on the defroster and the range dropped, so I had to take a detour to recharge, something I hadn't planned before. My question is, doe the defroster really eat up the battery that much, or was this just the car being conservative?

 

[WingNutty]

Last weekend my wife and I took a trip to the gulf coast and it was a very relaxing experience, but I noticed something I wasn't sure, so I hope to get an answer here. As you know, the area is quite humid so I turned on the defroster and the range dropped, so I had to take a detour to recharge, something I hadn't planned before. My question is, doe the defroster really eat up the battery that much, or was this just the car being conservative?

I can definitely relate to that defroster range hit, especially in humid climates like the Gulf Coast
For the XC40, the climate control system, while effective, does draw a good chunk of power for that dehumidifying and heating
It's not the car being overly conservative, it's genuinely the energy needed to quickly clear that moisture and warm the air.
I've found that setting the climate to 'Auto' and maybe bumping up the fan speed slightly can sometimes be more efficient than the dedicated 'defrost' button for maintaining clarity without the massive initial draw
How were your overall range expectations before this trip?

 

[Aladdin]

The drop you saw might've been part actual drain and part the car adjusting range based on projected usage, I dont think it's unusual in humid areas where the system has to work harder

 

[Stephiee]

The defroster absolutely drains EV range more than most people expect. It's not the car being conservative, the rear element and cabin heater pull serious power, especially in humid conditions. People underestimate HVAC load on electric vehicles all the time.