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It comes with a massive disadvantage
Many of us live in countries where having an AC in the house is not standard. Cars on the other hand are almost always made with an air-conditioning system in them. This is something people are usually really grateful for on hot summer days. It is nice and cool alright, but there is one major disadvantage.
The air conditioning guzzles gasoline.
Fuel
Are you trying to save money on gasoline or do you want to drive for as long as you possibly can without having to go for gas again? Please leave the air conditioning off! Libelle tells us about research that shows that a manual AC uses more gas on warm days than on normal days. On a warm day, the AC could use up to 12.5 percent of your fuel. If we make a quick calculation, it means that out of the 70 litres of gasoline that you put in your car, about 8.75 litres are being used by the AC. If you have an automatic AC though, the number of litres that it takes from your full fuel tank is halved.
Open the windows
A manual AC has even more disadvantages for your gasoline levels. The AC takes up much more gasoline inside an urban area than outside of it. Given the fact that you don’t drive very fast in those areas anyway, you could open up a window instead if you want some cool air. However, when you’re driving on a highway, it is best to use the AC in your car. Opening your windows when you’re driving very fast will cause your car to slow down, which takes up more fuel. It is essentially making a choice between two evils, but it is better for your fuel levels to use the air conditioning when you’re driving down the highway. As a gasoline guzzler, your AC is bad for your car and bad for your wallet.
Bad for your car, bad for you
However, next to your wallet, the AC can also be bad for your health. Air conditioning makes it very cool in your car and that is great in the summer, but it could make you sick. The temperature inside and outside of the car differs so much that the change in temperature can make you sick. This does, however, have a very simple solution: turn the AC off five minutes before you arrive at your destination. That way you can gradually get used to the outside temperature again before you get out of the car. You can, of course, also leave the AC off when you drive to save you both illness and fuel.
