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Old 12-07-2011, 02:13 AM   #7 (permalink)
Ecky
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: New Zealand
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ND Miata - '15 Mazda MX-5 Special Package
90 day: 39.72 mpg (US)

Oxygen Blue - '00 Honda Insight
90 day: 58.53 mpg (US)
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I've calculated back-of-the-envelope that a car A/C unit draws in the range of 600w. A 100w panel runs about $150 on amazon, so a good way to estimate the gains is to find out your mileage loss from running the A/C, divide that by 6 and add it to your normal mileage.

I'd guess it might save you 10-15 gallons of gas per year if you drive a lot, so it'd take about 3 years to pay for itself.

Last edited by Ecky; 12-07-2011 at 02:23 AM..
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