How Much Does Turning on the Air Conditioner Reduce the Range of an Electric Vehicle?
1 Answers
When driving an electric vehicle at a constant speed of 60km/h, the theoretical range with the air conditioner ON will decrease to 80% of the range when the air conditioner is OFF. Here is some extended knowledge about pure electric vehicles: 1. Consumption: Since pure electric vehicles do not have an engine, they cannot utilize the residual heat from the engine to provide warm air like fuel-powered vehicles. Instead, the heating system in pure electric vehicles relies on a high-voltage resistance heating module (PTC heater) installed in front of the air conditioning blower. This module converts electrical energy into thermal energy to supply warm air to the cabin, similar to the principle of a hair dryer. Therefore, keeping the heater on while driving consumes a significant amount of battery power, approximately 5 kWh per hour. 2. Compressor: Using the air conditioner for cooling in summer is much more efficient. The cooling system in pure electric vehicles also utilizes a compressor, but the compressor's power is only 2-3 kW. Once the cabin temperature stabilizes, the compressor's power reduces to around 1 kW. As a result, running the air conditioner for cooling in summer consumes about 2 kWh per hour. Based on this calculation, a fully charged battery can still provide a range of over 210 kilometers even with the air conditioner on.
