Discovering the secret role of the dashboard's mysterious sphere

There are many features in cars whose functions we don't fully understand, such as the spherical plastic element placed on the dashboard. However, this component plays an important role.

Cars are becoming more sophisticated 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 notice a protruding, often spherical plastic element on the top of the dashboard, right next to the windscreen. This feature appears in cars with automatic air conditioning, and in the case of dual-zone air conditioning, there may be two such elements. These are solar sensors.

How do they work? Based on this, the sensors analyse the sunlight and 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 20 degrees Celsius, 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 recognise that the interior is not heating up as quickly, which means the cooling process will be different. Therefore, ensuring that nothing is covering these sensors is essential, as they play a crucial role.