© 2024 KMUW
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Crank Up the AC, Crank Down the Hybrid Mileage

Hybrid cars might not be quite so fuel-efficient when the weather turns hot. A study by the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory found that hybrids lose up to 27 percent of their fuel efficiency when the air conditioning is running. Conventional vehicles only lose 2 to 5 percent. Researcher Jim Francfort elaborates on the study in a conversation with Liane Hansen.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.