The hot, dry season started early this year, according to PAGASA. Moreover, summer temperatures in Southeast Asia are forecast to be hotter than normal this year, according to the ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Center (ASMC).

Now, think about how hot the interior of your car could feel.

Researchers found that if a car sits parked in the sun on a hot day, the interior temperature can reach 46 degrees Celsius  and the dashboard may exceed 73 degrees Celsius—hot enough to be fatal for vulnerable occupants such as small children or family pets. Even when outside temperatures are mild, experts say car interiors can heat up to dangerous levels, making it imperative to never leave a person or pet inside a closed car without the air conditioning on.

If your vehicle is equipped with a remote start system such as those in certain Chevrolet models, use it to cool down the cabin temperature before driving off. Moreover, the remote start key fob can also open all windows for quick ventilation and quicker cool down even before the driver sets out.

Moreover, Chevrolet says their A/C systems are designed to cool down the interior to a comfortable level in just a few minutes, even for those seating in the back.

Chevrolet customers stay cool and comfortable even on the hottest days because General Motors Global Product Development engineers test vehicle aircon systems in external temperatures up to 46 degrees Celsius to assure reliable system performance.

Thermal testing of air conditioning systems typically requires driving test vehicles for thousands of miles in both real world and simulated environments. Engineers conduct these tests at GM’s Desert Proving Grounds in Yuma, Arizona, USA, where summer temperatures reach 42 degrees Celsius, and in GM’s climatic test laboratories at even higher temperatures.

In both real world and laboratory environments, vehicles are subjected to high “solar load”—the heat generated from maximum exposure to sunlight. Then, GM test engineers drive the vehicles at a steady speed to ensure the air conditioner is capable of cooling the interior to a comfortable temperature within minutes.

According to experts, light-colored vehicles, interior and exterior, typically cool down more quickly than dark-colored vehicles because darker colors absorb more heat from sunlight than lighter colors. As a result, light-colored vehicles can be about 5 degrees Celsius cooler than dark-colored vehicles when subjected to the same amount of solar load. Additionally, tinted glass can help reduce heat load inside vehicles by nearly 80 percent.