So I have been talking to dealers, thanks all for your feedback, emailing seems to be best way for me to handle talking to them. ALot less pressure. SO my next question, we have temperatures here of 110 degrees, does the airconditioning run off the engine and how does it affect the MPG. thanks
To answer your actual questions; the AC is electrically powered, but the electricity is generated by the engine, so yes, the AC is enging-powered, though indirectly (in otherwords, it is indeed possible to have the engine not running and the AC happily providing cooler or warmer air, depending on how you want your air conditioned Using the AC, particularly if you have it in 'Max cold' or 'Max heat', will impact your fuel economy. I haven't really done any testing to see by how much, but it is probably noticable. I hope this is helpful.
I live in the same area, and commute from Surprise, to Tempe daily. I keep mine set at 78°F and it works just fine. Like any car A/C, highway speeds help it run cooler than sitting at idle. Consistent, heavy usage will impact mpg, especially in traffic situations where the battery would otherwise save gas. However even with the A/C usage, I still manage 48-50mpg in the summer heat. In the spring, I see mid-high 50's though. I do keep elevated tire pressures though (see other threads on tire pressures).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius\";p=\"110627)</div> Nope that's the one from the first generation Prius. The 2nd generation uses the electric variable speed compressor.
