Why doesn't auto climate control recirculate

[CruxOp]

It's freezing cold outside and instead of turning on recirculate so that I'm not heating up 17° air the climate on auto keeps turning recirculate off. Any idea why the heck it wouldn't recirculate the warm cabin air instead of burning so much energy heating the outside?

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[COdogman]

Welcome to the Rivian HVAC mystery

 

[Nacho Rivian]

Think about what happed when you turn your ICE car’s engine off and stayed in your car…. What happened at the windows when the weather is cold or even hot? Your windows will be foggy with humid air you breathe out. And your car’s interior will be filled with musty odors even be moldy. The system is functioning as intended to keep you safe.

 

[sub]

I noticed the same thing and also find it perplexing. We were cold after being outside skiing on a 0 degree day.

I set the thermostat on Max heat, auto and Rivian was blowing cold air at my feet because it couldn't raise the temperature of that 0 degree air by 90 degrees in one pass.

I switched to recirculate and it instantly started blowing warm air at my frozen toes.

 

[CruxOp]

Think about what happed when you turn your ICE car’s engine off and stayed in your car…. What happened at the windows when the weather is cold or even hot? Your windows will be foggy with humid air you breathe out. And your car’s interior will be filled with musty odors even be moldy. The system is functioning as intended to keep you safe.

You fix this by occasionally running the compressor to dehumidify, or or even toggle external vs recirculate automatically

 

[Erikbecker]

It's freezing cold outside and instead of turning on recirculate so that I'm not heating up 17° air the climate on auto keeps turning recirculate off. Any idea why the heck it wouldn't recirculate the warm cabin air instead of burning so much energy heating the outside?

Based on what I've noticed, some car AC systems focus on bringing in fresh air to avoid too much humidity and prevent those annoying foggy windows. One trick you can try is playing with the recirculate button yourself, especially on super cold days. It might need a bit of hands-on control, but it should keep that warm air flowing nicely in your ride.

 

[Ecupip]

Based on what I've noticed, some car AC systems focus on bringing in fresh air to avoid too much humidity and prevent those annoying foggy windows. One trick you can try is playing with the recirculate button yourself, especially on super cold days. It might need a bit of hands-on control, but it should keep that warm air flowing nicely in your ride.

You called it. The humidity sensor is calling the shots when recirculate is active or not.

 

[CruxOp]

Yeah it sounds like programming bug to me

 

[DTown3011]

I use Recirc for my heat when it’s very cold (plus seat heater etc) but typically have to switch between Auto and Defog as the windows fog quickly. Defog does work great however!

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