Introduction
As the weather gets colder, and the mornings frosty it can take longer to get going in the morning. It is the same for your car but there are steps you can take to make your car ready to go when you are.
Here we share ways you can optimise your car for a quick start and make your mornings less stressful with a few simple steps from the comfort of your home using the Volvo Cars app.
Remote Start
Make frosty mornings more comfortable with Remote Start. Through the Volvo Cars app, you can start your vehicle remotely before you set off. In cold weather, functions such as seat heating, heated wing mirrors and heated rear windscreen can be automatically activated, helping to warm the cabin and prepare the car for your journey. It’s a simple way to enjoy a more comfortable start on colder days.
Plug-in hybrids and Electric Vehicles
In colder weather you may start to see a difference in charging times and range on your battery vehicle. Cold temperatures are more demanding on batteries, so sometimes your battery will have to use additional energy for things like in car climate or heating itself. To help mitigate this impact, there are some things you can do:
Preconditioning – By preconditioning your car, you can decrease the energy used to heat it up as well as the battery. This can be managed in the climate settings. If your car is plugged in to a charger, preconditioning draws energy directly from the power source, helping to protect your range. You can also use the Timer feature (available both in car and the Volvo Cars App) to schedule preconditioning to ensure your battery and car are ready for your journeys each day.
Climate while driving – Warm yourself, not the car. If you are driving by yourself, you can use features like the heated steering wheel or heated seat to keep yourself warm, rather than warming the whole car using the climate system. Heated steering wheel and seat use less energy and are more efficient, so has less of a drain on your battery.
Program in charging stops – if you use your in-car navigation system to plan your charging stops, the battery will precondition itself to be at its most efficient temperature for charging. This can help reduce charging times.
So, prepare for winter motoring now by setting up or checking you have access to the Volvo cars app and plan your mornings so that your car is prepared for you, when you need it.
