Does turning on the car ION button consume more fuel?
2 Answers
Turning on the car ION button consumes more fuel. The ION button in a car refers to the negative ion air purification function, which can improve the air quality inside the vehicle. For vehicles equipped with the negative ion air purification function but without a physical ION button, it is usually integrated into the central control screen. You can find the ION touch button by accessing the air conditioning interface on the screen. The following are the functions of the ION car button: 1. Maintains air freshness: This function draws the air inside the car into the air conditioning system and releases it back, keeping the air inside the car circulating and fresh. 2. Filters fine particles: It transforms the fine particles that cannot be filtered by the air filter into larger particles that can be filtered by adsorbing them with negative ions, thereby achieving a purifying effect. 3. Adsorbs harmful substances: When this function is activated, the negative ion generator produces and releases a large number of negative ions. Since harmful substances like formaldehyde in the air can easily adsorb to these negative ions, they form larger particles and settle down, ultimately being filtered by the air filter to purify the air inside the car.
Turning on the AC does increase fuel consumption somewhat, which has been quite evident in my years of driving experience. This is mainly because the compressor is driven by the engine, requiring the engine to consume more fuel to provide the necessary power. Take city driving as an example—when stuck at traffic lights, the compressor frequently cycles on and off, likely increasing fuel consumption by around 15%. On the highway, where wind resistance is lower, the increase is about 5-10%. In summer, the effect is even more noticeable, as the compressor runs almost continuously, making the fuel gauge drop rapidly. I've seen many friends press the accelerator harder when the AC is on, which also wastes extra fuel. So don’t underestimate this—if you drive frequently, it could add up to hundreds of dollars in extra fuel costs over a year. My advice is to keep the windows closed and the AC on while driving on the highway, as this reduces wind resistance and saves more fuel.
