Car Climate Control UI

Why, when I change the temperature on the thermostat of my Renault Zoe does it change the fan direction, too? Is this a UI affordance for people who want their faces colder but their feet warmer? I don’t understand!

A white hand turns the thermostat knob in a car from 19℃ to 20℃ in 0.5℃ increments; the untouched nearby fan direction control seems to change of its own accord. Initially blowing towards the user's face it switches on 'towards feet' at 19.5℃ and switches off 'towards face' at 20℃, and reverses the process when the temperature is turned down again.

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2 comments

  1. the answers are scattered across FB, Reddit and possibly the owners manual, it appears this is deliberate especially in AUTO mode as the system works out the quickest way to reach the desired temperature and adjusts air direction to achieve this.

    It might be possible to override the auto mode, but I also read comments that changing the temp puts the system back in AUTO mode.

    As cursed as it is it does kind of make sense especially in colder weather as there isn’t any petrol engine to generate “spare” heat..

    1. Dan Q Dan Q says:

      Fascinating, and highly-believable. Thanks for sharing!

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