Why Your Car’s Air Conditioner Affects the Fuel Economy

It is normal to turn on the air conditioner (AC) in your car on a sunny day or a chilly morning. However, if you are keen on fuel economy, then the AC is not your best friend. Turning on the air conditioner makes your car consume more fuel. But why is that?

If you want to know why, this article explains why turning on your car’s AC will affect the fuel economy and by how much.

Why Does a Car’s AC Have an Impact on Fuel Economy?

A car’s AC system compressor is not like the one in a home air condition system, which uses power from the outlet. Power from a car battery is not sufficient to power the car’s AC system. Therefore, it draws the power needed from the engine, resulting in extra fuel usage.

This is also the same case when you use the AC system to lower the temperature in your car. The compressor compresses the refrigerant which also needs more power from the engine to run effectively.

How Does This Work With the Hybrid Cars?

It is a fact that using the AC system causes poor fuel economy in ICE vehicles. But what about hybrid cars?

The air conditioner of a hybrid car uses power from the battery. The battery stores power generated by the engine and regenerative braking, but still, fuel is consumed every time the battery stores power. Therefore, the principal power source in a hybrid car is still the engine. Turning on the AC in a hybrid vehicle also causes higher fuel consumption, hence poor fuel economy.

By How Much Does a Car’s AC Affect the Fuel economy?

According to automotive experts, the fuel economy of a car will reduce by at least 10% if the air conditioner switch is turned on. Take for example, a car with fuel consumption of 20km/L. It will consume 10 litres of fuel to cover a distance of 200km. But with the AC on, the same car will cover a distance of 180km.