Solar sensors on your dashboard: The key to perfect car climate control
Many car elements have functions we don't fully understand, such as the spherical plastic on the dashboard. However, this element plays an important role.
12:04 PM EDT, June 28, 2024
Cars become more complicated with each passing year. Manufacturers strive to introduce the latest technologies, which were novelties a few years ago but can now be found even in small city cars. Therefore, the question may arise: "What is this for?"
Such a question may arise when we look at a protruding, often spherical, plastic on the top of the dashboard, right next to the windshield. This element appears in cars with automatic air conditioning, and in the case of dual-zone air conditioning, there may be two plastics. These are solar sensors.
How do they work? The sensors analyze the sunlight and, based on it, assess how much the car's interior is heating up to adjust the automatic air conditioning operation properly. For example, on a sunny day, if we set the air conditioning to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the system will work to quickly and effectively cool the vehicle's interior.
If we set the exact temperature on a cloudy day, the car's computer will recognize that the interior is not heating up as quickly, which means the cooling process will be different. Therefore, ensuring that nothing covers these sensors is essential, as they play a crucial role.
