So in my laymen terms: Because of start up load of a motor is, it more efficient to run the wipers at low speed instead of intermittent as the motor (I presume) is starting and stopping every X seconds? Video showing continuous motor running when wipers are on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMxBKlfQ1IY Background: http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?1125761-AMPS-R-L-A-F-L-A-L-R-A&p=13654251#post13654251 How many watts will a 2.2kw motor draw on starting? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130830102851AAjid2j
1. The wiper uses so much less energy than powering the car, it's hardly worth worrying about. 2. If you clean your windows with Chemical Guys cleaner or some similar product, you'll seldom need to use the wipers. 3. As far as the compressor goes, it's variable speed so how much energy it uses is highly dependent upon how you set it. I've found that it doesn't use very much here in Texas.
I wasn't really worried about the impact to our EV driving range. It has been a curiosity question on and off for quite a while and I've just forgot to do any research and post the question. Thanks for the link. I'm guessing it is similar to Rain-X but I'll check it out.