Does the car air conditioner consume the same amount of fuel in the first gear and the fourth gear?
2 Answers
The fuel consumption difference between the first gear and the fourth gear of the car air conditioner is minimal. More relevant information is as follows: 1. The air volume setting of the air conditioner refers to the amount of air blown by the blower, which means the speed of the blower varies. Because the difference in blower speed results in a very small gap in engine load, the fuel consumption can be basically ignored. Many household vehicles now use automatic air conditioning, with compressors being variable frequency compressors. 2. When the air conditioning system is working, the amount of fuel consumption is related to the engine load. However, the engine load when the air conditioner is turned on depends on the desired temperature adjusted by the driver. For example, when the driver sets the interior temperature to 18 degrees Celsius, the air conditioning system will adjust the cooling power and the blower air volume based on the values from the in-car temperature sensor to quickly achieve the desired temperature. 3. When the air conditioner is set to automatic mode, it will automatically adjust the working state of the air conditioning system once the desired indoor temperature is reached. If the automatic mode is not used, the system will continue to operate in the same power cooling mode. When the driver sets different desired temperatures or selects different air conditioning modes, the engine load caused by the air conditioning system will vary, resulting in significant differences in engine fuel consumption.
As someone who has been driving for decades, I've observed that there is indeed a difference in fuel consumption between setting the car air conditioner to the first and fourth speeds. At the first speed, the fan runs slower, consumes less electricity, and puts less burden on the engine, resulting in relatively lower fuel consumption. At the fourth speed, the fan blows stronger, the motor runs faster, consuming more electricity, and the engine has to supply more fuel to generate power, naturally leading to slightly higher fuel consumption. The compressor is a major fuel consumer, but it only kicks in when there's a high demand for cooling, making the fan speed a secondary factor. Overall, the difference is about 0.1-0.2 liters per 100 kilometers, which becomes especially noticeable during long summer drives. Developing a habit of using medium fan speeds can save some money on fuel and reduce pressure on the engine. Remember not to always set it to the highest speed; adjusting the air conditioner reasonably can balance comfort and economy, making your driving experience more pleasant.
