Stop blasting car air con to cool down – use scientific hack

Published: 2025-07-10 09:25:48 | Views: 10


As the UK braces for a third scorching heatwave this summer, with temperatues set to soar past 33C in certain areas, it's crucial to be clued up on how to protect yourself and your family from the sweltering heat.

While many are familiar with strategies to keep their homes chilled, maintaining a cool temperature in cars can be more challenging.

To help, a woman named Hannah Fry has recently gone viral on social media for sharing her genius tip to rapidly cool down your car in seconds. The coolest part – you'll be using science to do so!

She said: "You know that thing when you get into your car in the summer and it's absolutely boiling hot. There's actually a fluid dynamics trick that you can use to quickly cool your car down."

"That's what my PhD is in, fluid dynamics. And this is the trick I continue to use. So don't bother putting on the aircon, that would take about five minutes, it's not worth it," she explained as she stepped out of the driver's seat to demonstrate her car cooling technique.

"Instead, you open one of the windows on the opposite side of the [driver's seat], the back window now open. Then what you do is you very quickly - I mean you do look a bit like an idiot if you do this - but you just very quickly open and close the driver's doors."

She instructed by briskly opening and closing the car door three times before re-entering the vehicle. Then, Hannah went on to explain the scientific method behind her approach.

The scientist stated that when you swing the door outward, it pushes away all the air in its path, creating a low-pressure zone between the driver's seat and the door.

This initiates a process known as bulk flow, which effectively expels the hot air from inside the car.

"And the only way to refill it is with nice, fresh, easy air from over that side," she explained, gesturing towards the open window at the back.

Hannah concluded by saying: "It only takes about two or three goes and suddenly it's absolutely beautifully temperature."

Viewers were amazed by the simple method and soon took to the comments section to share their thoughts.

One person wrote: "My car AC doesn't work and I'm from a tropical island so I will definitely be trying this - I already look like an idiot, this changes nothing."

Another shared: "Been doing this for 20 years with the blind belief that it’s better than just opening all the windows. Thanks for the scientific pardon."

And a third added: "Delivery driver here, thank you for going to college for this, I’m doing it from now on. It makes so much sense. Please keep sciencing!"



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