After having electric A/C, I doubt I'll ever want to go back to the conventional method.
What I've noticed in driving mainly 4 cyl conventional cars is that the A/C REALLY diminishes power. You truly do feel it, and only when you floor the accelerator, do you override the mechanism which then blows WARM air. I do not notice any power loss on the Prius even when I set the A/C to 68. The SOC stays level and there doesn't seem to be a compromise.

Wayne,
Although the air will use the same amount of energy no matter what, electric air allows the energy to be drawn from a completely efficient source (regeneration is better than nothing!). Without electric air, however, the idling energy works at minimum efficiency going 0MPH. That's why it's more efficient for electric air.

The AC definately saps your MPG. I notice about a 10 MPG difference between driving when the AC is on high and when it is on low.

Or, a better way to put it, diring the same road under the same conditions asside from temp, I get about 10 MPG better when its not hot outside than when its hot and my car has been sitting in the hot sun all day.

Does the classic Prius have normal A/C?

Yepp, "normal".

I read at, I believe, cars.com that there is one other difference between standard air conditioning and the Prius's electric air is that the compressor on the standard is either full on or off no in between. The electric is variable and offers some efficiency when the car is cooled off. FWIW. I would be interested to hear of others thinking on this.
Henry Drygas

Hi Hdrygas:

___Although the full electric A/C is being touted as a worthwhile item, I don’t know that it helps fuel economy as much as many might have hoped? If Krousdb would chime in here, that would probably solve it as I believe he saw an ~ 15 - 20% drop from record runs after it really heated up so I have to assume it was the A/C that knocked him back somewhat.

___Another link you might be interested in from a site in Japan describing the Toyota Estima shows a mechanical and electric solution for even more efficiency possibly? This Estima was released last year and having a bigger ICE, the A/C hit wouldn’t be nearly as hard as it would be on the Prius I and II’s 1.5 L. Here is the article for your own favorite’s addition …

Estima Hybrid Gets Styling Upgrades and Better Fuel Economy
___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net