The influencing factors on continuously variable transmission（ CVT） power consumption and efficiency are studied. The external characteristic compare of engine and motor is analyzed. A method of measuring CVT power consumption and efficiency is presented by using a low power electric closed test bed. The experiments results show that,the torque loss mainly depended on speed ratio and system pressure,and the efficiency mainly depended on speed ratio and primary input torque. When the ratio is less than 1,the torque loss increased significantly and the efficiency declined rapidly. When the ratio is larger than 1,the torque loss and efficiency are almost constants. Overall efficiency optimization control strategy,clamping force slip rate control algorithm and new electric oil pump are studied to determine the energy conservation potentials. The simulation results show that the three methods could improve economical efficiency by 3. 2%,5. 8% and 2. 4% individually. By adopting all the three methods,the economical efficiency improved 9. 8%. So the references for selecting and evaluating power conservation methods are provided.