Imagine you just drove off the lot of a Pontiac dealer with a brand new or certified pre-owned vehicle. It’s a blistering hot day and you’re tempted to reach for that A/C control, knowing it’s going to give you a refreshing blast of cold air. But you also want to be fuel-conscious and environmentally-aware. Do you choose the A/C or do you simply roll down the windows?
The answer isn’t that simple .
The air conditioner uses more engine power. As a result, the A/C could decrease your fuel economy by up to 20 percent if you’re driving through the city. But if you’re traveling down the highway, is the A/C really the worst idea?
In vehicles that are more aerodynamic than others, the A/C can be a great option. Rolling down the windows will simply create a large amount of drag on your vehicle. That makes your car work harder to maintain or even gain speed.
But if you’re driving through the city, rolling your windows down is often the best option. Stop-and-go driving and lower speeds cause your engine to work hard. Using the air conditioning at slower speeds only makes the engine work even harder to create cool air.
So now you know. And though the debate will continue to rage on, sometimes the comfort of air conditioning is worth the decreased fuel economy…at least for me anyways.
