Can You Turn on the Air Conditioning While Charging an Electric Vehicle?

[DelDerek]

It is not recommended to turn on the air conditioning while charging an electric vehicle, as it will increase power consumption and affect the charging speed. More information about charging electric vehicles is as follows: 1. Generally, new energy electric vehicles operate under relatively stable voltage and current conditions during charging. However, using high-power electrical appliances like air conditioning requires higher voltage, which can cause current instability and affect charging efficiency. 2. During the charging process, the battery capacity of the new energy electric vehicle's power battery pack is fixed. Using the air conditioning will continuously consume power, thereby prolonging the overall charging time.

[CharlieFitz]

Yesterday when charging, I specifically asked the service staff, and the answer was that you can definitely turn on the air conditioning. While charging, the vehicle is like connected to a large power bank, and the air conditioning system operates using electricity from the grid. However, I should remind you that having the AC on does affect the charging speed. Last time I was fast-charging with the AC set at 26°C, it took 30 minutes just to add 50 km of range, which was about 15% slower than usual. Here’s a practical detail: the vehicle automatically adjusts the battery temperature, so you don’t need to worry about damaging the battery. Now that the weather is hot, I recommend remotely starting the AC to cool the car 15 minutes in advance—this way, it’s cool when you get in and saves energy.

[GarrettFitz]

Last week I tried running the AC while charging at a charging station, and it worked perfectly. The battery management system automatically allocates power, prioritizing the AC operation. I found setting the temperature around 25°C to be most energy-efficient, and even at maximum fan speed, the charging wasn't interrupted. However, it's worth noting that this works best with DC fast chargers - with home slow charging, the charging progress bar barely moves when the AC is on. Also, remember to lock the doors; I once forgot to lock the car, which caused the AC to automatically turn off.

[IsabelleRose]

Personal experience tells you: It's completely fine to turn on the AC while charging. The car is like a plugged-in phone that can be used while charging. I often use the mobile app to schedule the AC to turn on before charging, so the temperature is just right when I get in the car. It's recommended to turn off high-power-consuming functions like seat heating to save more energy. The ventilation mode consumes less power but is less effective, while the 25°C cooling mode uses about 2 kWh more per hour.