Does Using Air Conditioning in Summer Affect Car Power?
4 Answers
Using air conditioning in summer does affect car power, and the smaller the engine displacement, the smaller the engine power, which naturally results in a greater impact on performance. Air conditioning directly affects engine power: There are two types of car air conditioning systems: independent and non-independent. Household cars typically use non-independent air conditioning, which relies directly on the engine's power. When the engine is running, it must allocate a portion of its power to the car's air conditioning system. Using air conditioning affects car speed: Taking a 1.8L engine as an example, when the air conditioning is turned on, the 0-100km/h acceleration time is slowed by 1-2 seconds. Data analysis across different speed ranges shows that the 0-60km/h acceleration process is less affected by air conditioning. In city driving, drivers don’t need to worry too much about the impact of air conditioning on car power. However, in the 60-100km/h acceleration range, the vehicle's power is noticeably reduced. During daily driving, if you need to quickly overtake the car ahead, temporarily turning off the air conditioning can be a simple and effective solution.
Last time I drove my old 1.6L car on mountain roads, I really felt it—the throttle noticeably got heavier when the AC was on. The compressor is like a small motor attached to the engine, eating up about 10% of the power. Especially when climbing hills, the RPM wouldn't go up, and turning off the AC immediately made it feel much lighter. Nowadays, new cars with turbocharging fare better, but it's most noticeable with small-displacement naturally aspirated cars in high-temperature traffic jams. I've developed a habit of turning off the AC for two seconds before overtaking. Oh, and when the AC is on, the engine load increases, and prolonged high RPMs might accelerate carbon buildup. Regularly cleaning the throttle body can help alleviate some of the power loss.
Eight years of ride-hailing experience taught me that running the AC in summer is truly painful. Once, I carried four burly men up an elevated bridge—stepping on the gas with the AC on felt like stepping on cotton. The AC compressor relies on the engine crankshaft to rotate, effectively robbing about 15 horsepower. It's most noticeable in small-displacement cars at low speeds; the tachometer has to jump to 2,500 rpm before the car moves. Now, I teach passengers a little trick: turn off the AC and open the windows before overtaking, and the power returns instantly. But don’t do this on highways—wind resistance will just waste more fuel. Older cars should also remember to check belt tension; slippage consumes even more power.
From a mechanical principle perspective, it's inevitable that the air conditioning compressor consumes engine power. When the compressor operates, it consumes 2-4 kilowatts of power, effectively reducing the engine's maximum output by a noticeable margin. I've tested a 2.0T vehicle, and the 0-100 km/h acceleration time increased by 0.8 seconds with the AC on. Naturally aspirated engines suffer even more, especially when idling with the AC running—you can even feel the steering wheel vibrate. As for solutions, newer models equipped with auto start-stop and variable-frequency AC systems intelligently distribute power. For older vehicles, switching to a lightweight compressor pulley can recover about 5% of the lost power.
