# How do hybrid vehicles and colder climates mix?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-hybrid-vehicles-and-colder-climates-mix/169174>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 16, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-hybrid-vehicles-and-colder-climates-mix/169174 "2003-04-16T21:26:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-hybrid-vehicles-and-colder-climates-mix/169174/1 "2003-04-16T21:26:54Z")

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How usable are Hybrid vehicles in colder climates, like the the north/midwest US and most of Canada? Are the electric systems able to function adequately in -30 or so weather? How about the heater? If the engine is off for a period of time, where does the heat come from? Electricity? Wouldn’t that dramatically shorten the length of time you can run off of battery power?