[Shaka]

Over the past decade I've had my share of electrified cars. My favorite feature has always been the fact that you can precondition the interior of the car, even when the car is parked in a garage. Here in Cleveland, Ohio USA we have a month of really hot summer temps, and we have 3-4 months of legit winter, so at both ends of the spectrum this has been a feature we've used often (Tesla, Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt, Audi eTron, etc).

REMOTE START W/UCONNECT APP
Although the latency of the Jeep app is not as good as Tesla (no app really is on par), it works well enough. I also appreciate that you can perform a remote start from the Mopar web site/desktop. And in both cases I adore the fact that you can send the request, and then go about your day, and you'll get a push notification that it started/succeeded. (iPhone 12 mini). Comparatively, other car apps would fail if you left the app, or would not send a push notification, and only Porsche has had a portal (my Taycan Turbo) that would allow remote start from my desktop, which is nice at work rather than having to reach for my phone.

REMOTE START WITH KEY FOB
This is where things go in an unexpected direction. I loved that my Mini Cooper SE electric would pop up on the dash (after powering off the car) asking right there & then if you wanted to run the climate. This is similar to the "climate keeper/dog mode" feature(s) on the Tesla. My wife's Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge has the same feature, her SUV being like the Tesla where it is a few taps away on the screen. Mini does it best, with an instant on-screen reminder when you shut down the car. Often on really hot/cold days I would use this feature, so I was upset to see the Jeep lacked any such feature; that was, until I realized the benefit of the key fob.

As you EXIT the Jeep 4XE, and lock the car (which I do keylessly since mine has that feature), I have found the "hassle" of getting the key out of my pocket minimal and worthwhile, for the sake of a remote start. As I walk away from the vehicle I have often double-clicked the remote start, when I know my in-store visit will be brief (ex: today getting lunch carry-out) so that I can return to a nice toasty car. So for those who had not thought of this, that is my "suggestion of the day" -- when you dont mind burning the EV electrons, and you plan to return to the car within the 15min "auto run cycle" -- click that remote start as you walk away -- (I'm sure other folks with non-EVs may realize this, but I've always just used the app or on screen features, and I have never actually owned a gas car w/remote start from the factory since most German brands, which I lean towards, dont usually offer this).

FINAL THOUGHTS
One argument that my local EV friend and I have always had is the conversation surrounding the "wasted energy" to run the HVAC when you're not actually -in- the car. His rationale was that you will probably use more energy keeping the car warm in winter, than just returning to a cold car, using the heated seats, and driving. Plus, in our cars w/small batteries, his argument was you may run out of EV power and tap into gas, which is a double whammy. And normally I'd agree with that -- but as my commute is only 9 miles, and my errands are usually near my house, I feel like the power loss will likely not cause me to over-use my EV power. But for each person, and their end goals as it pertains to EV vs Hybrid mode etc... you'll need to evaluate yourself.

Now that you've read my essay on climate functions .... please chime in with your own thoughts, experiences, etc.

 

[SnB4xe]

During summer months, I usually leave my BEV running or remote start as soon as I lock the doors (assuming quick 5-10min errand).
With our PHEVs, I shut down and lock up....then remote start as I am heading towards the car and by the time I get there it is usually cool enough to be comfortable. Usually.

I am more like your friend in that I am more miserly with the electrons in our PHEV. When driving our BEV then I am the big spender when it comes to electrons. I find BEVs to be very liberating.....sometimes to a fault.

 

[Shaka]

@SnB4xe you actually sound a bit like a hybrid of myself and my friend. He drives his wife’s Tesla Model Y with a soft touch to try to eeek out power, even his Chevy Bolt. But he started with a < 100 mile early Ford Focus EV and then also had a red Ford CMAX PHEV. So for him, range was always tight, and he wanted all the miles. He is the epitome of hyper-mile man.

We drove our Tesla Model 3 Performance from new to 50k miles and got nowhere NEAR the estimated range/efficiency, because I tracked the car many times, and we drove it HARD. Like yo said, liberating. I took the added range and the lack of anxiety and enjoyed every last mile of that car. But that is the enjoyment of it… but the downside is here in Ohio my power is mostly coal. I try not to think about the “Dirty grid” — and just enjoy my cars. I’m a petrol head at base, growing up with my dad having Jeeps and European sports cars.

Interesting approach for sure — I think come winter time it may also depend on my allowable range. I have a feeling when alone (no wife/kid) I’ll deal with the cold. But my wife has become accustomed to her enjoyable warmth from her Tesla (now Volvo XC40 BEV) — so she may fight me to keep the Jeep warm when we’re in the store if the visit is small. on the flip side, you/I are prob the same — at a retail store, start preheat when you’re at cashier, or at restaurant when you’ve paid bill before you get up from table— those few mins usually ample to preheat.

 

[Horse_Power]

Great post Shaka. I'm taking delivery of my 4xe tomorrow and the climate preconditioning is one of the features I'm looking forward to most. I live in Arizona and getting in a hot car can be pretty miserable in the summer.

If I use the app to remote start does it only run for 15 minutes? Is there any way to do a "dog mode" type thing with the 4xe?

 

[michail]

I don't think there is. It's just 15 minutes.

 

[Grimmjpr]

I don't think there is. It's just 15 minutes.

That you can operate twice before you need a vehicle restart. So you can have two 15 minute sessions.

 

[Shaka]

Although I have not tested it, the owners manual clearly states you can perform a remote start up to twice, with each session running for 15 minutes. Which matches the responses above. And it should be indifferent to the method in which you use the remote start, be it via the remote control key fob or the Internet u-connect option.
It would be nice for a single 30m or a longer method. But it would also run the risk of using a lot of electrons. So I get their logic (and yet another argument for why a full BEV wrangler will be so nice!)

 

[Grimmjpr]

Although I have not tested it, the owners manual clearly states you can perform a remote start up to twice, with each session running for 15 minutes. Which matches the responses above. And it should be indifferent to the method in which you use the remote start, be it via the remote control key fob or the Internet u-connect option.
It would be nice for a single 30m or a longer method. But it would also run the risk of using a lot of electrons. So I get their logic (and yet another argument for why a full BEV wrangler will be so nice!)

Its probably just the same algorithm they use in all their vehicles, I've had several Jeep/Dodge products and all the remote starts with the same.....two 15 minute remote starts before restart required.

 

[gman21]

Over the past decade I've had my share of electrified cars. My favorite feature has always been the fact that you can precondition the interior of the car, even when the car is parked in a garage. Here in Cleveland, Ohio USA we have a month of really hot summer temps, and we have 3-4 months of legit winter, so at both ends of the spectrum this has been a feature we've used often (Tesla, Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt, Audi eTron, etc).

REMOTE START W/UCONNECT APP
Although the latency of the Jeep app is not as good as Tesla (no app really is on par), it works well enough. I also appreciate that you can perform a remote start from the Mopar web site/desktop. And in both cases I adore the fact that you can send the request, and then go about your day, and you'll get a push notification that it started/succeeded. (iPhone 12 mini). Comparatively, other car apps would fail if you left the app, or would not send a push notification, and only Porsche has had a portal (my Taycan Turbo) that would allow remote start from my desktop, which is nice at work rather than having to reach for my phone.

REMOTE START WITH KEY FOB
This is where things go in an unexpected direction. I loved that my Mini Cooper SE electric would pop up on the dash (after powering off the car) asking right there & then if you wanted to run the climate. This is similar to the "climate keeper/dog mode" feature(s) on the Tesla. My wife's Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge has the same feature, her SUV being like the Tesla where it is a few taps away on the screen. Mini does it best, with an instant on-screen reminder when you shut down the car. Often on really hot/cold days I would use this feature, so I was upset to see the Jeep lacked any such feature; that was, until I realized the benefit of the key fob.

As you EXIT the Jeep 4XE, and lock the car (which I do keylessly since mine has that feature), I have found the "hassle" of getting the key out of my pocket minimal and worthwhile, for the sake of a remote start. As I walk away from the vehicle I have often double-clicked the remote start, when I know my in-store visit will be brief (ex: today getting lunch carry-out) so that I can return to a nice toasty car. So for those who had not thought of this, that is my "suggestion of the day" -- when you dont mind burning the EV electrons, and you plan to return to the car within the 15min "auto run cycle" -- click that remote start as you walk away -- (I'm sure other folks with non-EVs may realize this, but I've always just used the app or on screen features, and I have never actually owned a gas car w/remote start from the factory since most German brands, which I lean towards, dont usually offer this).

FINAL THOUGHTS
One argument that my local EV friend and I have always had is the conversation surrounding the "wasted energy" to run the HVAC when you're not actually -in- the car. His rationale was that you will probably use more energy keeping the car warm in winter, than just returning to a cold car, using the heated seats, and driving. Plus, in our cars w/small batteries, his argument was you may run out of EV power and tap into gas, which is a double whammy. And normally I'd agree with that -- but as my commute is only 9 miles, and my errands are usually near my house, I feel like the power loss will likely not cause me to over-use my EV power. But for each person, and their end goals as it pertains to EV vs Hybrid mode etc... you'll need to evaluate yourself.

Now that you've read my essay on climate functions .... please chime in with your own thoughts, experiences, etc.

I have a question... I live in canada so when its winter, I want to remote start or physical start but I want the gas engine to run for 10min before driving.. how do I do this? Usually the engine will only run for 1 minute then shut off...

 

[Shaka]

@gman21 not entirely sure. What happens if you run the remote start but battery is 0% does it run the gas motor for 15min? Maybe try that experiment first. Also could you get a block heater instead would that achieve what I assume you’re trying to do here?