EBH too wimpy at 400W?

I think 400 watts is about right. Someone over at CleanMPG did extensive testing, measuring coolant temps after different times. Just rough summary, with an average 4 cylinder vehicle and a 400 watt heater, temp were raised maybe 35 degrees centigrade, with 80~90 percent of the raise happening in the first hour, and a more gradual raise to level by the end of hour two.

We're using the 400 watt Toyota heater on ours, 2 hours works fine, yielding a warmed block. The object is not to raise the engine to near operating temperature, just to get it on it's way, make it behave more like a summer warm-up.

 

2 miles? Ouch. Considering walking/biking, at least in nice weather

I know: what's the car for?

 

wow only 2 miles? That's not even far enough to get 40+mpg. A high power electric bike would fit your commute perfectly. You can get one for a couple grand that can do 40+mph for 10 mile range.

 

That's too bad. I was actually thinking it might be something like that. Anyway, a few more thoughts on the Toyota Block Heater:

Our previous Civic Hybrid's block heater immersed directly in the coolant. The heater element replaces the stock engine block coolant drain bolt, kind of a drain bolt with leads.

Whenever it was plugged in, within 30 seconds you would hear a sort of ping/hiss sound, like a kettle put on a heating element. Reassuring.

The Prius Block Heater, OTOH, fits into a cylinder that's in the coolant zone, but the heater itself is not directly immersed. There's a heat conductive gel, to help.

When you plug it in, there is no sound, no audible feedback. But give it a couple of hours, and then feel some of the hoses and you'll see it's working. Another check: the resistance across plug prongs should be around 30~40 ohms, if it's ok (infinite, and you have a break).

The part's around $50. Installed set me back $400~. Still, almost worth it: I've heard install is a bit of a struggle. I believe the install location is reachable from below, through the oil maintenance flap.

I've heard it's also a bit tricky getting the gel on the heater core, and then getting it into the cylinder. One trick is to leave a groove in the layer of gel, so air can vent easier as you put it in.

Also, assuming you're going to have the plug coming out through the grill of the front bumper, do a double zip-tie connection at the slats, with just enough hanging out. And try to find an extension cord with easy pull-out, just in case you forget.

I've managed to chew up one plug so far, not following the above.