Summer has truly arrived. It's not just a matter of the calendar; the temperatures confirm it. And when the heat in the car becomes noticeable, air conditioning is an essential comfort.
The first prototypes appeared in the 1930s, and testing began in the early 1940s on Packard and Cadillac. The first air conditioning system was only installed in 1953, on the Chrysler Imperial. Today, it is present in almost all cars, and it seems impossible to do without it. But how does it work?
The purpose of air conditioners is to remove heat from the passenger compartment and dehumidify the air inside. How? By exploiting a simple principle: a liquid that turns into gas absorbs heat; a gas that turns into a liquid releases heat. The hot air inside the passenger compartment is cooled when it enters the evaporator, inside which a cold liquid circulates. Therefore, an air conditioner does not produce cold air but removes hot air from the passenger compartment.
Often, this system is used incorrectly, leading to unnecessary waste. The energy required for the compressor's operation actually increases fuel consumption. Therefore, the air conditioner should be used intelligently and only when truly necessary. Here's some advice.
Deactivate automatic operation: you decide when the air conditioner is needed. Turn it on only if the outside temperature exceeds 18 degrees.
When starting, drive for a couple of minutes with the air conditioner off, with the windows down, and the ventilation on. Then close the windows and turn on the air conditioner at a reduced speed.
Avoid polar temperatures! Keep the difference between internal and external temperature low and remember: the ideal cabin temperature is 23 degrees.
With these simple precautions, consumption is reduced by an average of 5%.
