There is an opinion that turning off the car AC can save fuel or fuel oil. But does this apply to all types of cars?
As reported by mobil88, for cars that are new or young, whether with large or small engine volume, this apparently does not have much effect on fuel consumption.
Because the latest cars are equipped with a number of technologies to maximize fuel efficiency.
So for cars under 10 years old, turning off the car AC to save fuel is not effective. In fact, by frequently turning the AC off and on, it has the potential to make fuel consumption more wasteful.
This happens because the car’s AC compressor has to repeatedly work hard to catch up with the temperature level in the cabin. Things that can actually affect fuel consumption.
Car AC components have two sensors, namely the outside air sensor and the cabin air sensor. When the AC is set at 18 degrees Celsius and the air outside the vehicle is very hot, the computer (ECU) will always activate the compressor so that the temperature in the cabin reaches that number.
In young cars, usually the AC system is automatic so there is no need to bother setting the temperature because the ECU will read the ideal setting by comparing the temperature outside the car.
However, in older cars that are not equipped with automatic temperature settings, it is recommended to set the AC temperature to 25 degrees Celsius. This temperature is considered ideal because it is not too different from the temperature outside the car, where the average temperature in Indonesia is 30 degrees Celsius.
The temperature difference that is not too big between outside and inside the car will make the compressor work lighter. If the temperature in the car approaches 25 degrees, the system will stop the compressor from working. This can help save fuel significantly.
For cars more than 15 years old and with large engine capacities, turning off the AC can indeed save fuel because they are usually not equipped with automatic AC technology and sophisticated engines that can reduce fuel consumption.
So by turning off the AC, engine performance becomes lighter and saves more fuel, although not too significantly.