# Anybody own a Prius? Is this true? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 5, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895 "2011-07-05T13:43:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/1 "2011-07-05T13:43:29Z")
I heard this second hand and didn’t know if there was any truth to it. Someone said that since the Prius is a hybrid and on startup is electric and the gas engine doesn’t kick in until you get to higher speeds that it’s almost impossible to “pre-heat/defrost” the vehicle in the winter. That is to say you can’t turn it on and leave it parked in the driveway while the inside heats up and the windows get a chance to defrost while you go inside and throw your lunch together. True? (They said the same for running the A/C while the car is parked. You can’t pre-cool the car before driving.) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/2 "2011-07-05T13:48:30Z")
My AC cranks up immediately. While it’s true that the car will stay on battery while sitting still, it will only do so until the battery needs to receive charging energy from the gas engine. I’ve sat with the heat on while waiting for my wife and had the gas engine cycle on and off periodically. ---
**Author:** ![Meme\_Chose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Meme\_Chose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meme_Chose)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/3 "2011-07-05T13:51:36Z")
It is not true. I’ve left my Prius running while the ice and snow melted off. I hate to do it, though. It _ruins_ the mpg. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/4 "2011-07-05T14:08:24Z")
I started my Prius a few times last winter to let it warm up and had no problems. It was warm and toasty when I finally left the house. I’d guess I left it on about 5 minutes or so while getting ready to go. I live in Texas, so it was just really cold with frost on the windows, not snow. I have never tried to cool it in the same fashion, though. I get asked about the car a lot. I just drive it like a normal car and it acts just like a normal car. I’ve had it for 3 years and am very happy with it. I’m getting 46 MPG right now. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/5 "2011-07-05T14:42:14Z")
My daughter has had a couple of Honda hybrids, and I don’t think they work that way. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/6 "2011-07-05T14:49:56Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > My daughter has had a couple of Honda hybrids, and I don’t think they work that way. They don’t. I have an Insight. Unlike what I have heard about Priuses, the Insight never drives by battery alone. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/7 "2011-07-05T14:58:51Z")
The Prius gas engine simply starts and stops as needed. The OP’s source of information has a bad case of Teh Dumbs. Don’t “own” but car share one whenever I need it. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/8 "2011-07-05T15:01:07Z")
It’s untrue in two ways. I’m in Minnesota and can vouch the fact that the car does heat up and clean the windshields with the snow on it. (And in the last couple days of 90+ degree heat, the A/C takes about 60 seconds before I’m feeling cool). Also, the gas engine usually starts running for the first couple minutes when warming up the Prius. That’s why short little jaunts will negatively effect the MPGs. > [@](#): > > [When to Drive](http://www.kbtoyota.com/priusmileage.html) > Cold starts are mileage killers. The Prius and other hybrids get the worst mileage in the first five to ten minutes of driving. > Try to get all your errands done in one outing. If you can help it, drive after the day has warmed up. Hot humid air is the least dense, and produces the least air resistance. > Avoid rush-hour traffic, if at all possible. > Driving during rainy, slushy or snowy conditions will decrease your mileage. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/9 "2011-07-05T15:03:05Z")
I don’t think mine drives by battery alone. The only time I used battery-only was when (my husband, not me!) ran the car out of gas. The battery does not last long, but it had enough juice to let us top the hill and then coast down to the gas station. I’m not sure if the battery refilled during the coast because I was too stressed out about being out of gas to check the battery indicator. A couple of times, I used up the battery and it rolled over to gas only. Both those times were during traffic jams where the cars were not moving at all or very, very little. I think I need to be moving at about 7 MPH to recharge. I’m thinking that if I put it in ‘park’, it uses far less battery, but I’m not completely sure. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/10 "2011-07-05T15:11:35Z")
To agree with everyone else; yes, a Prius will ‘pre-heat/defrost’. My car’s engine will start up as soon as it detects that it’s needed. > [@](#): > > Driving during rainy, slushy or snowy conditions will decrease your mileage. Indeed, [mileage decreases during Winter months](http://www.flickr.com/photos/27492458@N05/5627759285/in/photostream). (Data from my vehicle.) ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/11 "2011-07-05T15:20:02Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > The OP’s source of information has a bad case of Teh Dumbs. That’s what my gut told me when I first heard this but didn’t have any facts to counter him with. It was from one of those guys who drives his Suburban gas guzzler to work every day solo and is currently “outraged” at the White house proposal that all vehicles have a 56mpg rating by 2025. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/12 "2011-07-05T15:39:19Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > That’s what my gut told me when I first heard this but didn’t have any facts to counter him with. It was from one of those guys who drives his Suburban gas guzzler to work every day solo and is currently “outraged” at the White house proposal that all vehicles have a 56mpg rating by 2025. Ask him why he wants to send money to the Middle East to fund terrorists. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/13 "2011-07-05T15:57:10Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > To agree with everyone else; yes, a Prius will ‘pre-heat/defrost’. My car’s engine will start up as soon as it detects that it’s needed. > > Indeed, [mileage decreases during Winter months](http://www.flickr.com/photos/27492458@N05/5627759285/in/photostream). (Data from my vehicle.) My Insight does about 39 in winter and 46 in summer. In fact, there’s a big enough difference that my I can see the average creep up if I’m driving around on one of those random 80 degree days in early spring. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/14 "2011-07-05T15:57:31Z")
I don’t even understand the logic of the OP’s acquaintance. Do they somehow think that car heaters can only run on gas? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/15 "2011-07-05T16:03:07Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Do they somehow think that car heaters can only run on gas? I had a '46 Willys CJ2A that had a gas-fired heater. I never tried to to see if it worked. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/16 "2011-07-05T16:03:16Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I don’t even understand the logic of the OP’s acquaintance. Do they somehow think that car heaters can only run on gas? Do hybrids also have an electric heating element? ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/17 "2011-07-05T20:06:00Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I don’t even understand the logic of the OP’s acquaintance. Do they somehow think that car heaters can only run on gas? I’m not at all familiar with the Prius, and if you had asked me to take a guess, my guess would have been that it heats up slowly, if at all,when not moving. A gas or diesel car uses waste heat, from burning the fuel, to heat the cabin. You blow air across a hot part of the engine, and look, it’s free heat. An engine running off of a battery doesn’t have waste combustion heat. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/18 "2011-07-05T20:14:34Z")
From Wiki [emphasis mine]: > [@](#): > > Although not part of the HSD as such, all HSD vehicles from the 2004 Prius onwards have been fitted with an electric air-conditioning compressor, instead of the conventional engine-driven type. This removes the need to continuously run the engine when cabin cooling is required. **Two positive temperature coefficient heaters are fitted in the heater core to supplement the heat provided by the engine.** ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/19 "2011-07-05T20:21:38Z")
One of the features of the Prius is that it holds the engine coolant in a vacuum flask, to keep it hot, so that if you shut the car down for a few hours and start it up again, the engine actually warms up to normal operating temperatures much more quickly than a normal car. This helps reduce start up emissions and fuel economy (slightly). So in fact your friend is exactly the opposite of correct. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895/20 "2011-07-05T20:22:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > From Wiki [emphasis mine]: Thanks Johnny, news to me. But then I don’t have a hybrid. I would have thought that it would pull too much power. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-own-a-prius-is-this-true/587895.md?page=2)