Why Does the Car Lose Power When the Air Conditioner is On?
2 Answers
Reasons for power loss when the car's air conditioner is on: The car's air conditioner is driven by the engine, and the power of the air conditioning compressor comes from the car's engine. Therefore, running the air conditioner consumes some power, making the car feel sluggish and underpowered when accelerating. This is a normal phenomenon. The car's air conditioning compressor is driven by the engine. According to the law of energy conservation, when the engine burns the same volume of gasoline, the power efficiency is higher when it only provides propulsion compared to when it both provides propulsion and drives the air conditioning system. For vehicles with larger displacements, the impact of the air conditioner may be less noticeable. So, it's certain that using the air conditioner in summer affects the car's power, but there's no need to worry.
I often drive small-displacement cars, and when I turn on the air conditioning, the car feels sluggish. This is mainly because the engine is under more load. The air conditioning compressor relies on the engine to drive it, especially during low-speed climbing or overtaking, it consumes 10-15% of the power, making the acceleration feel noticeably weaker. For example, if you're driving a 1.6L car, you can easily reach 80 mph with the AC off, but with the AC on, acceleration becomes much harder. Another issue is engine carbon buildup—older cars with more carbon deposits have lower intake efficiency, leading to even greater power loss when the AC is on. It's recommended to regularly clean the throttle body and fuel injectors. When overtaking on the highway, you can turn off the A/C button for ten seconds, and the power will immediately return. Additionally, check the belt tension—a loose belt will make the compressor consume more power.
