How Much Does Air Conditioning Really Reduce Range in an Electric Car?
The German automobile club measured the real energy consumption of AC in EVs. Initial cooling uses the most energy, but there are simple tricks to save.
The German automobile club measured the real energy consumption of AC in EVs. Initial cooling uses the most energy, but there are simple tricks to save.
Drivers of electric cars often wonder during summer heat how much the air conditioning affects their vehicle's range. The answer isn't simple, but measurements by the German automobile club ADAC provide a clearer picture: the biggest impact on the battery occurs in the first minutes after entering a very hot cabin.
When a car sits for hours in the summer sun, the interior temperature can be several tens of degrees higher than the outside temperature. In such conditions, the air conditioning system must run at full power upon activation to reach a comfortable temperature as quickly as possible. According to ADAC, the system can draw several kilowatts of power during this initial phase.
This means that short city trips, such as from home to the store, will proportionally experience a greater loss of range. The energy used for initial cooling cannot be "spread" over many kilometers. The situation is quite different on longer highway trips, where this initial surge is distributed over a significantly larger number of kilometers and becomes almost negligible.
Interestingly, according to the same sources, air conditioning in summer generally reduces the range of an electric car less than heating in winter. Heating the cabin at very low temperatures can require significantly more energy, especially in models without a heat pump. However, this doesn't mean the summer impact should be ignored.
There are several simple yet effective ways to mitigate the initial impact on the battery. The most important tip is to cool the car while it's still plugged into the charger. This way, the energy for initial cooling comes from the grid, not the battery, so you start your journey with a cooler cabin and a fuller battery.
Other useful habits include briefly ventilating the cabin by opening the windows before turning on the AC, to expel the hottest air. Using a windshield sunshade and parking in the shade whenever possible also significantly reduce initial heat buildup and the need for intense cooling.
The key takeaway for all electric car drivers is that while AC does consume energy and reduce range, the biggest impact is short-lived. Once the cabin temperature stabilizes, maintaining it requires significantly less energy. Therefore, even during extreme summer heat, there's no reason to avoid using the air conditioning, especially if you apply the aforementioned savings tips.
