If stepping into your parked car during a summer heatwave feels like entering a blast furnace, you’re not alone—and you’re definitely not being dramatic. In recent days, France’s temperature gauges have been competing in a rather unfun game of “who can reach 40°C in the shade,” punishing bodies and patience alike. In such blazing conditions, the stuffiest place on earth might just be your car after it’s baked in the sun—Le Progrès points out those cabin temperatures can rocket all the way to a staggering 70°C. ‘Sauna effect’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.
The Scorched Car Interior: A Shared Struggle
Let’s be honest: when you crack open your car door and that first wave of broiling air escapes, the instinct is to find any solution, no matter how quirky. Strategies abound:
- Patiently propping the doors wide and waiting (possibly until autumn?)
- Channeling your inner convertible, windows down, hair flapping in the sizzling breeze
- Cranking up the A/C as if your life depends on it
But there’s another option—a trick under the radar for most, but declared more effective by none other than Hannah Fry, a British mathematician and university professor specialized in fluid mechanics. Not content to rule just the lecture hall, Fry has become a TikTok science sensation, demystifying the numbers behind life and love—and, yes, how to cool your car fast. Her take on the classic “air out the car” dilemma has gone viral, logging nearly 3.5 million views. And, let’s face it, that many overheated people can’t be wrong.
No Miracles, Only Physics: What This Hack Really Does
Before visions of mountain streams or Arctic blasts dance in your head, a quick reality check: this trick doesn’t make your car’s interior frosty in seconds. There’s no magic wand here—just physics and a dose of humility. If it’s 38°C outside, don’t expect to create a personal 25°C oasis inside. The goal is simple, but sweet: shave down that suffocating “oven” setting by a few critical degrees, sparing you from the worst of the mobile meltdown. Being at 38°C isn’t a spa day, but it sure beats cruising around at 40 or 45°C, which even your air freshener probably can’t survive.
Hannah Fry’s Key Trick: The One-Window, One-Door Method
Now for the bit you came for: Fry’s method is as hands-on as it is scientific. According to her, the game-changing technique runs like this:
- Lower just one window. For instance, pick the front passenger-side window.
- On the opposite side (here, the front driver’s door), rapidly open and close the door several times over the span of about 10 seconds. Yes, you may get curious looks in the parking lot, but that’s the price of science in action!
What’s happening? You’re not simply flapping your door for the fun of it. Fry explains that opening the door creates a smart airflow—a kind of “manual draft” that physically expels the sweltering air and lets cooler ambient air rush in. When the door swings out, it pulls the neighboring hot air with it, creating an area of low pressure just outside the door. The muggy, stifling air inside is literally sucked out and replaced by the fresher stuff drifting in through the window. In short, you’re swapping out the air inside your inferno-on-wheels at rapid speed, leaving things slightly more breathable for you and your perspiring passengers.
Give It a Go—And Thank Science
Whether you’re a skeptic or a hopeful convert, Fry’s science-backed hack has clearly struck a nerve—3.5 million TikTok views don’t lie, after all. The beauty? The experiment is yours to try, right in your own driveway or parking spot. As the summer sun shows no signs of mercy, and with roadside mirages beginning to look suspiciously like inviting lakes, having one more way to steal a few precious degrees from your cabin’s ferocity is very welcome.
To sum it up:
- No miracles, just a very clever (and slightly athletic) shortcut
- More relief, less “sauna effect”
- All thanks to a handy bit of physics, courtesy of Dr. Hannah Fry
The only thing left to add? Arm yourself with your car keys, a dash of curiosity, and maybe a cold drink for after. Your car—and your sweat glands—will thank you.
