AC Continues to Run

This isn't really a problem, but more of a curiosity. Wondering if others have noticed the same thing. After I turn off the air conditioner it continues to blow cold air for quite awhile. Maybe 10 minutes or so. It also seems (although I need to double check this) that if I have been driving the car with the AC on, get home, turn off the AC, and then shut off the car, the next time I drive the car the AC is still blowing cold air for several minutes. Note that in any of these conditions where it is blowing cold air with the AC turned off, the AC button is not lit.

As I said, not a problem, but seems very strange. As I'm thinking about it, it's kind of like when I use the ConnectedDrive app to climatize the car. When I get in, the car is nice and cool, but the AC button isn't lit when I start the car.

Are you sure that the comfort climate control checkbox isn't set on your shutdown screen?



Greatest feature since keyless entry if you're running into a store on a hot day.....

Good point, but yeah, the box is always unchecked on the "goodbye" screen.

And yes, it's a great feature! Both of our 7 series BMW's had a "REST" feature, which would continue to circulate hot water through the heater system and run the fan on low when you shut the car off and pushed the REST button. Was great on those cold winter days to come back from a quick trip to the store and have a warm car with clear windows. My wife's current 535i xDrive doesn't have that and I miss it. But now the i3 can not only warm the car in the winter but cool it in the summer. Sweet!

But still strange that mine seems to blow cool air for quite awhile after turning off the AC. I just ran into town with the AC on. I shut the AC off just before I turned off the car and left the car parked in the 91 degree heat for about a half hour. Came out and it was HOT in the car. Started and drove off without turning on the AC and it immediately started blowing cool air. Not as cold as with the AC turned on, but definitely cool, and definitely not 91 degree outside air. Drove for about 10 minutes that way until the air started warming up and I turned the AC on again. Very strange.

Could your car be cooling the batteries after parking, and still cooling the heater box either by design or due to a malfunction?????

Now that's a great question! Not sure how I figure that out though. I have applied to transfer the CPO warranty into my name. When/if that happens I'll have to talk to the dealer and see if they have an answer.

I had the same issue in both my i3
Turing AC off after few minutes of use , does not turn it off many a times
It will also happen , when its cold and there is no need to cool battery after say 3 mins of driving

I conclude , i think its a bug.....

The computer will turn the a/c on if it detects that the windows could fog up all by itself, even if you've manually turned it off. If it was quite hot out and you may have driven the car hard, the a/c will potentially run to cool the batteries. So, the refrigerant could be 'ready' to produce cooling nearly immediately when you start the car up again. The evaporation coil will take awhile after running the a/c then turned off before it absorbs enough heat to pass ambient air though unchanged.

Fisher99, I've wondered about this as well... I call it "Free A/C".

I've been on the freeway in my 2014 BEV with outside air temps of 90°F and above. The A/C is set to 60°F (non-Auto mode) and blowing Arctic cold.

When I switch off the "A/C" button the range on the GOM jumps up four to ten miles, but there's almost no change in temperature coming from the vents. As you describe, I've also been able to go another ten minutes or so at freeway speed in high ambient temps with plenty of cold air coming from the system.

Not being able to read the immediate load on the battery makes it difficult to figure out what, exactly, is going on.

I have found that it's possible to stay very comfortable on high temp rides by cycling the A/C on and off. Interior temps can be stable with a 50% duty cycle based on the A/C button's state.

I'm not sure cycling the a/c is such a great thing. Yes, in normal operation, the compressor will be turning on/off as needed, but like many things, forcing it on or off is often when things tend to fail. You can lessen the energy hit maybe more easily by going into one of the eco modes. You can still get full performance, but may need to hit the go pedal a bit harder or more aggressively. If you're not an aggressive driver, you may not notice the difference.

During the time you've turned it off, it will take some time for the evaporator coil and ductwork to cool off, so it shouldn't be strange that things continue to blow cool air for awhile. The air coming out of that coil could be as cold as 40-degrees F or so, so it will keep blowing cool at least for a bit before it warms up. The a/c compressor might still need to run to cool the batteries when it's hot out, depending on how aggressively you've been driving, so that might be a factor as well.

If maximizing range is your goal, use an eco mode. BMW stated somewhere that running the a/c with the windows closed is more efficient when traveling greater than 25mph than having it off with the windows open, so take that into consideration as well...drag is the major component of energy use once you've reached a steady speed. Getting up to speed is the largest hit as is cooling or heating the cabin when the ambient is a long ways from your setting.