Is it harmful to idle the car and turn on the air conditioner?
1 Answers
Idling the car and turning on the air conditioner can be harmful. Causes battery drain: While the air conditioner compressor is driven by the engine, the blower fan is powered by the battery. When the car is idling, it may not necessarily charge the battery. Excessive power consumption by the blower fan can lead to long-term battery drain. Risk of carbon monoxide poisoning: Idling with the air conditioner on means the engine is running at a low speed, which can result in incomplete fuel combustion. In such cases, if the windows and doors are closed, the poorly combusted exhaust gases can enter the car, increasing the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning for the driver. Increased fuel consumption: According to related tests, idling with the air conditioner on can increase fuel consumption. When the air conditioner is on, both the air conditioner unit and the condenser need to work, which creates additional resistance for the engine. To maintain stable idling, the engine requires more fuel, leading to higher fuel consumption compared to not using the air conditioner.