Gas on to heat car - does it defeat the purpose

I am going to risk overlapping what Michael33 mentioned in post 150, There is a way around this whole problem, a hack if you will:

What you could do is have a lead cord hanging out from either the trunk or the engine. When you supply power it turns on an ordinary small size room heater that is bolted done somewhere inside the car. It might also power an engine block heater depending on total load and extension cord specs. My goal in preheating the car is not so much comfort as safety. I will sometimes get the side and rear windows freezing or fogging up when I try to drive a cold Prius. If I was driving a tank I wouldn't mind seeing the world through a little slit, however I don't, I have a fragile vehicle and share the road with other fragile vehicles, I need to see even when the car is cold.

If I want to see and don't want to run the gas engine, then I need to bring in power from somewhere else. An extension cord is the simplest way. (Wonders what is the most elegant way to strap a hair drier onto the side of each headrest... )

 

I think someone should try it first, and then come back to this thread and tell us how it went

 

or you could at least have an oem electric preheater that warms the cabin while charging.

plugging in a 120v electric room heater xx minutes before leaving doesn't even sound good on paper, nevermind in reality. i'll give andy credit though, at least he tried the electric blanket on the battery to warm it and came back with a 'no go'.

 

Here in Northern California, we can use the AC to defrost the windshields without starting the engine. But if it's really cold, the engine needs to start in order to provide sufficient heat.

 

i defrosted the windshield last night with 23 degree outside air.

 

I like your signature, it says it all

 

You're a veritable fount of misinformation, sir! There is no reason the engine has to run if a 12 volt inverter/heater setup is used.

 

let us know how that works out for you

 

This true, but you are not going to get more than 800 watts of heat out of your Prius 12 volt system, (a small hair dryer) and even then you are draining the big HV battery. Guess how you 'fill' the HV battery back up? With the engine, unless your commute is short enough to recharge.

Cold enough to need a heater, means reduced electric range anyway. Making heat electrically will reduce range more, and then you run the engine. (and if you drive less than 5 miles and have charging at work, none of that is important)

 

It's so difficult to convince people the reality of heating the PIP (not using ICE) It's not energy efficient or possible.

 

Sometimes it's just worth it to give in and run the ICE... is it really gonna kill you guys to put on some heat when it's 10f outside? You guys make your families sit in below freezing cabin temps?
I've tried driving without the ICE at temps near zero F, but the simple act of breathing almost instantly fogs up the windows- Oh yeah... I forgot.... I should open the windows at zero F temps to prevent that from happening

 

yah, near zero is too low for me. my wife and i are going out for a joy ride to look at Christmas lites. 1/2 hour, 10-12 miles, 34 degrees, no heat. like summer!

 

I'm not inebriated enough to enjoy this forum. Enjoy the misinformation and babble, folks.

The DC/DC inverter (unless Toyota left that out, which I doubt) will 'fill' the 12 volt accessory battery, which is what would be drained. I was talking about trips of less than 5 miles, so once again the objection is not relevant. I feel bad for people who come here looking for help with short EV trips, only to be told 'Jusht run th' engine, dammit!'

 

The DC/to DC inverter will drain the HV Battery, as the tiny 12 volt battery could not power ANY heater. (a 5 watt dome light can run it down over night) And yes, if you never drive your car any distance, then you can get to your destination before the HV battery is completely discharged.

 

I'm all for heating the PIP cabin in the wintertime, tried a 400 watt oil filled heater situated in the back with the rear seats folded down plugged into the 120 volt outlet next to the car, it was 34 degrees when I tried it, after leaving the heater on overnight the inside temp was only 35 degrees, imagine temperatures lower than that! Put the oil filled heater on Amazon and sold it.

 

Wow somebody with a little sense!

 

You guys are asking for fast heat in the cabin for short trips in very cold weather right? The most densed fuel that also create plenty of waste heat, is gasoline.

The obvious choice of fuel for heat is gas. Not using gas creates more problem than solution.

 

And it's probably cheaper than trying to heat the cabin with electricity for such a short trip.

 

It seems to me there are two different issues here. The first is those who actually want heat in the cabin so they feel comfortable; I agree that it seems unlikely this can be achieved in a more cost-efficient way than turning on the ICE, since heat is a waste by-product from the ICE rather than an extra drain as it is when electric.

However, some of us are coping with temperatures that are OK when wearing a coat, but have the problem of icing or misting. There are various threads about how to use the cold air, but not many on other alternatives that I have seen.

• My previous Ford had a heated front windscreen. I'm not sure, from a search, whether this is patented technology, but even if it was, the patent must surely be expired or nearly expired by now - my Ford was 2003, and they had been around for a good while before that. Like the electric seat warmers, this is a sensible use of electricity exactly where you need it, so I'd hope Toyota would think about it for the next iteration if it is possible.
• I've been using a large sachet of rechargeable dehumidifying crystals on the dash recently. It seems to help a bit; there's a small area of completely clear glass above it and I think the rest is less misted than it was, but it still isn't a solution.
• I've just bought some AutoGlym demisting glass cleaner which I have yet to try.

Anyone got any thoughts/experience on any of these?

 

I had heater elements in the base of the windshield of my 2001 Subaru Forester. (A replacement windshield with the heater elements was about $1200 more than one without) However it heated where the wipers rested, not in a visible part of the windshield.