how do you warm up the prius in the winter?

If you want decent mpg - you don't....

 

yes

 

On cold days here when I start my Prius I turn heater temp to HI and fan on HI. This usually keeps the motor running till warm!This car seems to warm up fast when driven.

 

Put in a block heater & use a timed outlet to preheat the engine for a few hours before the commute.

 

Seeing that you're in VT (with no heated seats!!), I'd look into the block heater option like Dark matter mentioned.

 

I warm mine in the winter the same as I do in the summer - start it and drive it!

 

I wear my winter jacket and drive. If I have to use the defroster/heater I do. But I shut them off at stoplights, otherwise the ICE keeps running. I find the heater to be much less efficient than the A/C in summer.

 

Heat comes faster from an engine being used. So, the get in and drive right away works well if you're like most who wouldn't have anywhere warm to wait after work anyway. That's true for any vehicle, not just Prius. However, Prius does have the advantage of a system carefully designed for heat-retention since heat is also used for cleansing emissions.

Long story short, you have choices available.
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We had some of the coldest winter weather in years this past winter. I have about a 3 block drive in a residential neighborhood before hitting a main thoroughfare.

I just get in and drive slowly through the neighborhood. By the time I hit the thoroughfare the engine is warm and blowing warm air in the cabin.

Same thing in the afternoon in the parking lot at work.

 

"Warm heat"???

You can block some front grills, install a block heater, even install an electric heater for the cabin.
The car will still be cool when starting out. But the good thing is the Prius does warm up quickly. But only if driven. It takes a long time to warm up when idling. The engine won't run past the "warm the cat cycle" unless you have the interior heater on, demanding heat. If you start out and have to wait at lights for the first 5-10 min it's a cold drive! It doesn't warm up fast waiting at lights. But driving, it warms up in a few blocks at 40 MPH.

 

I get in and drive, and that's with a Gen II Prius. The Gen III heats even faster.

Tom

 

You can add another 10 minutes to that if the windscreen is frosty, it is slow to warm up on idle. It warms up pretty quick when being driven, but you can't really drive with a frosty windscreen. I suppose you could spray de-icer on but it's not good for the paintwork when oversprayed and doesn't do much for the wiper blades. Oh how I miss my Ford quickclear heated front screen.

 

+1 on block heater with timer and grill block. When starting cold, I just get going, taking it easy. There's a thread here with guidance on grill block:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...62556-2010-prius-grill-blocking-strategy.html

My only caveat: I would not use grill block once I'm using AC.

BTW: it really helps if you can park in a garage, avoiding frosted up windshield.

 

just my .02

turn on the front and rear defrosters... the front defroster keeps the compressor on which helps reduce humidity and keeps the engine on... it also initiates (as does high fan, etc) the electronic heaters. this helps take the chill off faster.

with the temp set to 74 to 76 and defroster on, it will warm up the engine and cab automatically and not over heat the cab.... high settings can make it too warm... just in-case you get distracted inside...

 

When it's really cold, I leave the car running with defrost on. By the time I've scraped the windows, the interior is warm - probably warmer than it needs to be, since I've just been 'exercising' while dressed in Winter clothing.

On not-as-cold days, when the windshield needs only to be cleared of moisture on the inside, the interior is also sufficiently warm by the time I can see where I'm going.

I'm sure a block heater and grille blocking would improve efficiency and speed cabin heating, but the general idea is to get in and drive it. There's no point sitting there freezing, waiting for the engine's excess heat to warm you up - the Prius is designed to be more efficient than that.

 

The ICE is not used to charge the battery or provide power to drive the car until it gets out of stage 1a, about 104 degrees F. There are exceptions, if the battery is very low or you really put your foot in it, it will use the ICE in stage 1a.

So normally from the time you go to Ready until the ICE hits 104 degrees you will be running on the battery. This is power that has to be put back into the battery when the car warms up. In some cases it might save energy (i.e. gasoline) to set in the driveway and let it warm up to over 104 before you drive it. As far as I know this is an untested theory.

There are exceptions of course, if you live at the top of a long hill, for example, you can coast down the hill while it warms up enough to use the ICE for power.

If this interests you here is a reference thread. There are also some interesting rebuttals to the assertions in paragraphs 1 and 2 above

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-discussion/76501-gen3-warming-up-stages.html

 

I put a small 1500w heater in the back with the cord hanging out the hatch. Extension with a timer 30min before I go out, snow just pushes off and no ice to scrape. Screwed the heater to a square of paneling, fold down rear drivers seat, no problem after 3 winters.

 

Block heater then drive slow and the ICE will warm up quickly. Do NOT idle in the drive way.