Engine Temperature, Warm-up, Heater questions.

I am assuming you have PRIME. If so, it is equipped with very efficient (yet IMHO not powerful) electric heat pump that operates down to ~14F. Below that temp or even warmer but when the car determines to be needing heat from the gas engine, it will automatically starts the engine to supply the heat needed. I don't know how cold it gets in your area, but if you regularly experience sub 14F, the car will automatically starts the gas engine if you have the climate control on. You do not need to warm up the engine if you don't need for heating, but even above 14F, HV mode with the gas engine on will provide you with more comfortable warm air quickly. I do start my morning commute with HV to quickly heat-up the cabin temp and use the EV mode when cabin is warmed up.

 

I'm going with "Heat Pump".
Heat Pumps work both directions they can Cool (A/C) and Heat.

 

Are you asking about the car in your profile? Not sure what the answers would be for "Other Non_hybrid." But we're in the Prime forum, so I'll answer as it it's a Prime. [Edit to add: I see that others were answering as I typed. Good answers, too!]

That's one of the Prime's biggest bragging points. It has what many claim is the best heat pump in the industry. However, if you call for heat and the temperature is under about 14F, the engine will start. Also, the heated seats are a big help.

No problem at all. Watch your instantaneous mpg display. You'll see that you're getting well over 100 mpg while the engine is warming up because the car is borrowing from the battery during warmup to minimize emissions, which also makes life easier for the engine. Once it warms up, you'll see the instantaneous mpg go way down while the engine pays back what it borrowed from the battery.

Only if you like wasting gas and wearing out the engine prematurely. It's probably not good to floor it till it's warmed up, but the same conditions apply here as when the EV range runs out at speed. The battery provides most of the motive force till the engine gets up to temperature.

As they say, "Just drive it." This is one of the most carefree cars ever made. But you WILL want to read the manual on this one to get the most enjoyment from it.

 

Click on your name at the top then click on "Personal Details". You can take it from there.
I was going to give a wisecrack reply like "give me your userid/password" and I'll change it
for you but it's a new year so I won't do that. Until next week.

 

Congrats!!!

To edit your profile, assuming you're using a web browser & not some app on a phone, hover over your name at the top right in that blue bar and then click on "Personal Details." While you're at it, I recommend including your location so it's easier for members to help with advice that changes with location like the nearest hybrid shop and stuff like that.

 

Since my commute is longer than my battery range, I've found that I get the best mileage overall by only using HV mode in the morning and saving my EV range for the drive home. One mitigating thing about my drive is that the first part of my drive in the morning is also the highest speed...

 

This and other "great information" is included in your owners manual.
If you didn't get one, ask the dealer.

 

And, better yet, download the PDF from Toyota. Easier to look up information that way.

 

Add your location to the avatar too. Though that picture is a pretty good clue to current conditions.

 

+1 on the manual. I have about 10 pages left… riveting.

 

Heat pumps are less effective at low temperatures. Even though they say it'll work down to the (°F) teens, it won't work as well as it will at warmer temperatures. If the heat pump isn't getting the job done the way you like, switch the engine of with the HV switch.

 

Plus, if you have multiple devices, you can have it on all of them.

 

In my experience, the heat pump works well even down to around 17F. If I set the temperature to 80 or High and the fan speed 3/4 of the way up, I'll get too hot about halfway into my 25 minute commute. Hybrid Assistant reports the cabin temperature gets to around 70-80. It consumes a lot of electricity that way, but if you have a short drive where you can charge at both ends it can make sense. As the outside temperature approaches 14 F the amount of heat seems to sharply drop off.

It does take a while to melt frost or ice off the windshield. I have made the mistake of skipping scraping off a light layer of frost thinking it will melt as I drive. It doesn't (in EV mode).

The front windshield defrost button turns on the engine right away for maximum defrosting. But it's more fun to try to see how much I can use EV mode (with safety still being the first priority of course).

 

If you are charging on existing 110v outlet with extension cord I would suggest changing the charging current limit to 8A. I have a old house I wouldn't trust existing outlets to output 12A for extended period. I can't think of any residential electric appliance or otherwise 30 years back which required that much current for 5 or 6 hours straight everyday. Which would lead to having no code or testing related to that.

*For me* risk wasn't worth it.

 

15A circuits are designed for 15A, but derated to 12A for continuous loads (in general things designed to run longer than 3 hours). If 12A wasn't safe they would set a lower limit. Not much electrical has changed in 30 years. We're still using the same 14 gauge copper wire, similar junction boxes, wire nuts, breakers, etc. There are new requirements for GFCI and AFCI in new installations, but GFCI was already required in garages 30 years ago as far as I know, and AFCI isn't significantly more likely to prevent a fire on a circuit used for charging, than any other circuit.

If you have older wiring, especially aluminum or knob and tube, then charging on a circuit using that might be a bad idea.