Turning on the air conditioning in summer is quite fuel-efficient. Compared to not turning on the air conditioning, it can increase fuel consumption by about two liters per 100 kilometers, so the fuel consumption of vehicles in summer is very high. The reason for high fuel consumption is mainly due to the operation of the compressor, which has a relatively high power and imposes a greater load on the engine. After turning on the air conditioning in a small displacement car, it is noticeable that the car's power has decreased and the acceleration has slowed down. It can be said that the operation of the compressor is the main reason for fuel consumption, and when the air conditioner is turned on, there will definitely be wind blowing out, so another power consuming component is the blower. Today, let's talk about it. Is it true that the higher the air volume, the higher the fuel consumption? The lower the temperature, the higher the fuel consumption?

The size of the air flow will not affect the operation of the compressor, but only the operation of the blower. Due to the small power of the blower, the difference in electricity consumption between the lowest and highest gears is not significant. Therefore, the size of the air volume has a slight impact on fuel consumption, which can be basically ignored. So if it doesn't feel cool, don't worry about the air volume, just adjust it a bit higher.

The operation of the compressor has a significant impact on fuel consumption, so is it possible that the lower the temperature, the greater the fuel consumption? Yes, just like household air conditioners, the lower the temperature, the more energy is consumed. How can we use air conditioning without consuming energy? However, the impact of the set temperature on fuel consumption varies depending on the compressor. Variable displacement compressors have a significant impact. If the temperature is set low, the compressor will maintain a high displacement state for a long time, resulting in high fuel consumption. Setting the temperature high can reduce the displacement of the compressor, reduce the load on the car, and lower fuel consumption.

If it is a fixed displacement compressor, due to its constant displacement, regardless of the temperature set by the driver, as long as the air conditioning is turned on, it will work at full load. So when the air conditioning is first turned on, the temperature has no effect on fuel consumption. After running for a period of time, if the temperature of the evaporator is too low or the pressure of the air conditioning pipeline is too high, the compressor will stop and not work. After the temperature rises, it starts working at full load again, which means it either doesn't work or works at full load.

So the longer it doesn't work, the lower the fuel consumption. If the temperature inside the car is set very low, a large amount of cold air will be blown into the car by the wind, and the temperature of the evaporator box will not be too low for a long time. The compressor will not stop working, and the working time will be long, resulting in high fuel consumption. If the temperature is adjusted higher, the amount of cold air entering the carriage will be less, and it will inevitably accumulate on the evaporator box. Therefore, the temperature of the evaporator box will drop quickly, and the compressor will stop soon. If the shutdown time is long, the fuel consumption will be lower. Many cars with fixed displacement compressors have encountered this problem. When driving at high speeds, you only hear the blower blowing air, but there is no air coming out. This is caused by the compressor not stopping for a long time, resulting in the surface of the evaporator box freezing. The surface freezes, and the wind naturally cannot pass through the evaporator, so there is no wind coming out.

Summary: No matter what compressor, as long as the temperature is set low, fuel consumption will inevitably be high. Adjusting the air volume will also increase fuel consumption, but not too much, as temperature has the greatest impact on fuel consumption. So you don't need to set the temperature too low when turning on the air conditioner. Based on the feeling that it's not hot, adjust it at any time. Don't adjust it properly and never move it again. Keep it lower when facing the sun, and set it higher in the morning or evening.

From: WONDEE Autoparts

2024-3-13