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![]() | Home > General > Air con/fuel consumption |
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Dartman the one Member Since: 04 Apr 2013 Location: Seville, Spain Posts: 1713 ![]() ![]() |
It has a lot less effect on fuel consumption than it used to in the 80's. in those days in cruise control and engaging aircon the car would hesitate and you would hear the engine pick up as it regained the setting.
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IanMetro Member Since: 11 Sep 2017 Location: Somerset BS21 Posts: 3395 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
It seems to knock 2 or 3 mpg off my consumption when I use AirCon.
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sid Member Since: 17 Jul 2015 Location: devon Posts: 530 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Ive tried comparing with and without aircon,and cant see any difference in mpg,but my friends corsa with a small engine has a huge drop in mpg with aircon on. |
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OxonPete Member Since: 11 Jun 2024 Location: 11350 France Posts: 205 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
On the FL2 the air on still works really well, never been touched. Can’t notice when it cuts in & don’t see any mpg difference when used or not. My previous Disco 2 TD5 was same….but with the Disco 1 with 300Tdi you could really feel the braking effect when air con was engaged……in fact I used to engage thé air on when going down long inclines to aid engine braking…even in cool weather ….I particularly remember Blue Bank near Whitby & A169 from Pickering……used to go there a lot……lots of engine braking saved brake wear. Had to remember to switch off aircon at bottom of hill….before a subsequent incline…..! FL2 SD4 HSE Lux Auto MY 2012— current
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Lightwater Member Since: 21 Aug 2014 Location: Sydney Northern Beaches Posts: 5035 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Like others I leave ours on all the time. It's great in winter to stop condensation.
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Lakelander Member Since: 07 Nov 2019 Location: Cumbria Posts: 269 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Air conditioning does what it says. It conditions the air to keep it dry and constant at the chosen setting. It is for all year use not just to cool in summer. Turning it off can lead to poor lubrication of the system and the creation of foul smelling bacteria. FL2 SD4 XS 2013 Orkney Grey |
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jules Member Since: 13 Dec 2007 Location: The Wilds of Warwickshire Posts: 5430 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Agree - turning off runs the risk of forgetting to turn it back on - and then drying out the seals and predisposing to nasty smells - which was when I noticed SWMBO had turned the AC off for some reason. Jules |
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Nodge68 Member Since: 15 Jul 2020 Location: Cornwall Posts: 2127 ![]() ![]() |
The AC on our EV uses between 150 and 500 Watts of power depending on AC load, so would be similar for an ICE vehicle too.
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Lightwater Member Since: 21 Aug 2014 Location: Sydney Northern Beaches Posts: 5035 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
On our 2018 trip in outback Australia because it was so dry & cool weather we did turn the AC off over a few tank fulls of fuel. To today I have every petrol receipt trip data reset every time. Just never put the entire history in a spreadsheet. But we did so for the outback trips.
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Lightwater Member Since: 21 Aug 2014 Location: Sydney Northern Beaches Posts: 5035 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
I have no idea what AC the Freelander is using. But it is probably a 5 cylinder variable compression system. So once the cabin is cool the AC is not working that hard.
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Nodge68 Member Since: 15 Jul 2020 Location: Cornwall Posts: 2127 ![]() ![]() |
Since switching the Freelander for an EV, the energy used is much more accurately measured. Tail vs head winds makes a huge difference, as does speed. A 70 MPH drive with no headwind uses less energy than going 55 MPH with a 20 MPH headwind. Also driving on a rain soaked road uses more energy than a dry road, as the tyres use energy to move water out the way. I've also noticed that driving 85 miles northeast to our next largest city (Exeter) uses about 7 kWh less energy than driving the same 85 miles homebound in a southwest direction. The primary reason I'm assuming is that the prevailing wind normally comes from a southwestern direction, so outbound we have a tail wind, but homebound is a head wind. I think the hills also make a small difference, as outbound the uphill sections are gentle, using little more energy than flat road, but the downhill sections are steeper so the cruise control holds speed using regen, adding power back to the battery. Homebound, the situation is reversed, the uphill sections being steeper consuming more energy to climb them, but the downhill sections are gentle, giving little in the way of power from regeneration. It sounds a lot, but 7kWh is less than 50 UK Pence, so not exactly anything to worry about. Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate. The family car. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE. Gone. Audi A5 convertible, the daily driver. 1972 Hillman Avenger GT, the project. |
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Dartman the one Member Since: 04 Apr 2013 Location: Seville, Spain Posts: 1713 ![]() ![]() |
Nodge, with an EV where you can measure the use of power for the A/C, is the drive for the A/C direct from an electric motor or driven from a shaft in the drive train and can you use A/C stationary if a separate electric motor? I assume the A/C in an EV is more efficient but heating may not be as an ICE has on tap hot water that basically is free, the thermostat will close to keep the engine temperature at optimum my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
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Nodge68 Member Since: 15 Jul 2020 Location: Cornwall Posts: 2127 ![]() ![]() |
On our EV, I can get a display on the screen for current energy consumption, and what items are responsible for using it. The AC and heating are both monitored for a total period, as well as instantaneously, as is everything else that uses energy from the battery. The traction motors use by far the most energy, peeking at 230kW. The heating can use up to 5kW, but doesn't need to do that for long. The AC on full power cooling can use up to 5kW, but again that's only for a few seconds before it's throttled to under 500 Watts. The power for the AC compressor (used for cooling and heating) comes in the from an electric AC compressor, which is driven by 800V from the traction battery, under a PWM control signal. It's pretty clever, and probably not DIY friendly to repair, but electric AC systems have been around a long time, so should be pretty reliable. In our EV, the AC compressor is also responsible for heating and cooling the battery, motor, and inverter as is necessary for efficient operation in all scenarios. Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate. The family car. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE. Gone. Audi A5 convertible, the daily driver. 1972 Hillman Avenger GT, the project. |
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Jimboland Member Since: 06 Dec 2015 Location: Northants Posts: 754 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Thanks for all the interesting replies. I have done a couple of tank fulls with the aircon off and there appears to be no difference in MPG but as conditions and weather varied I couldn't draw any conclusions, so I will continue to keep the aircon on permanently as it makes for a more comfortable drive all year round.
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