AC or Open Windows?

[ArthurDOB]

Open windows in town, AC on the highways. If it's very humid, AC exclusively.

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[Scott Libre]

Below 80f, windows down because I enjoy it. Nothing to do with economy.

Pretty soon it will be above 95f, windows up and air on high.

 

[Zekester]

AC. Always. Pollen.

 

[Vgkfan]

I moved here to the desert in the early 90s. One very hot day I cracked the window just a bit so it wouldn’t be insanely hot when got in a few hours later. One of those super windy days out here. The entire interior was covered with about a quarter inch of dust/sand. My windows have basically been up ever since.?

 

[Garbone]

Under 45mph windows are down so I can yell and shake my fist at a moments notice.

 

[23skidoo]

I’m kind of trying to figure out why it’s using all this percentages ... It really uses up the energy sitting there.

Hi Jerry,

Percentage is a relative portion of something. Relative to the total.

In this case the total is how much energy was used since the trip counter was reset. I noticed in your pictures that you had driven 2.4mi and 0.4 miles. So the A/C in the 2nd picture for instance, looks like it was on for half an hour and was using about as much energy as driving the car around a third of a mile. So, in other words, not a lot of energy.

Hope that helps! In cold weather the heater can be a significant drain, but on the other hand, the A/C is actually quite efficient in my opinion.

Edit: My initial distance comparison was off, so I thought I'd show my work.

A little math, rough estimate
0.6 mi/kwh / 0.4 miles = 1.5 kwh consumed total
57% x 1.5 = 0.85 kwh consumed by A/C
29% x 1.5 = 0.43 kwh consumed by accessories, not sure what all is included in that (possibly radio/phone charging?)
14% x 1.5 = 0.21 kwh consumed by driving 0.4 miles

Assuming you normally get about 2.8kwh/mi energy efficiency on a normal drive, the energy you consumed over half an hour of A/C is about equivalent to about one third of a mile of driving.

 

[CarsIMBwife]

Or? Sometimes it’s Both! ? Especially when the car has been sitting in the sun while I’m at the gym. Partially open drivers and rear passenger windows. Put the AC on for a few minutes to cool down, then shut AC off. I primarily use AC on the highway, open windows around town.

 

[devmach-e]

AC, windows up. All the time. No matter what car I'm in or the speed I'm going. Don't care for the wind noise, even at slow speeds.

 

[Gratefulone420]

With summer approaching, and being a new EV owner, I've been wondering if anyone has evaluated whether it is better to drive the Mach-E with windows down or run the AC. I apologize if there has been discussion in the past, but I couldn't find it doing a search. The internet has lots of conventional "wisdom" based on ICE vehicles, but with EVs and modern electrical AC systems replacing belt driven compressors, I was wondering what the most efficient way ought to be to take road trips in my Mach-E.

With summer approaching, and being a new EV owner, I've been wondering if anyone has evaluated whether it is better to drive the Mach-E with windows down or run the AC. I apologize if there has been discussion in the past, but I couldn't find it doing a search. The internet has lots of conventional "wisdom" based on ICE vehicles, but with EVs and modern electrical AC systems replacing belt driven compressors, I was wondering what the most efficient way ought to be to take road trips in my Mach-E.

Beautiful 75 degree day, drove home with the windows down and volume up ? I'm good with getting 3.7 mi/Kwh

 

[Mach-Lee]

Beautiful 75 degree day, drove home with the windows down and volume up ? I'm good with getting 3.7 mi/Kwh

Average speed 26 mph, so that’s why.

 

[DYohn]

The only times my window has gone down is to use a drive-up ATM or to pay a toll.

 

[joemache]

I typically prefer driving my Mach-E with the windows up and the AC on

 

[Mach1E]

I open and close windows based on whether the gas smell is coming from inside or outside of the car.

 

[Moxiemoney]

I don't try to manage my efficiency.

I want to be comfortable when driving. If I am hot I turn down the AC. If I am cold I turn up the heat.

For my daily driving it might mean the difference between ending the day with 200 miles of range left on the GOM or 210 miles of range left.

If I want to go fast I go fast. If I want to go slow I go slow.

For trips I know I am going to be DCFC so trying to eek out a tiny bit of extra efficiency by being uncomfortable makes no sense to me.

100% agree. I'm always surprised when people are trying to eek out a few miles here and there.

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