Voiding warranty??

I use 100% Synthetic Oil, which contains no parrafin wax the component of Dino Oil that Thickens in winter and makes warming the engine by idling a poor idea. So MY engine doesn't have that concern. I also have the Seat Heaters set to ON so my butt is toasty warm on that 10 degree farenheit morning. Aaaah the luxury of heated leather seats to warm ones tush ! Engine being warm, not so critical. Engine Block heater not required.
Don't get me wrong, I like the gas savings but I bought the Prius because it saves me time because of the 'OK to drive in the HOV lane Lone Ranger', and my employer buys all the gas anyway. I don't obsess over mileage. Toyota took care of that when they designed the Prius, so I don't have to. My Employer, They can afford the gas to remotely warm my tush on a cold morning, trust me.

 

I have a G3-IV on order but currently drive a Hybrid Highlander. They are both spec'd with remote start (RS).

As several people have responded, the use of the RS for me is for the convinience of warming or cooling the car prior to getting in it for the commute. I also drive it so as to not impaqct the speed and flow of the traffic around me. I get my satisfaction at the pump each time I fill up.

I think that the HSD system is a bit different for the HyHi as it starts and runs the ICE each key cycle and runs it until it reaches temp. I'm sure that other, more knowledgeable people on this forum can comment about the differences if an explanation is needed.

That being said, I only use the RS when the temps are extreme and I dont feel a bit guilty stepping into my warm/cooled vehicle.

Efficiency differences for me have been minimal and in the .5 ~ 1.0 mpg range.

 

Gotcha, this makes sense.

From a fuel economy standpoint though driving around immediately will still be more favorable than idling though, don't you agree?

Uh oh...somebody's been reading the Amsoil website!

I've been using synthetic oil for over a decade... Colder temperatures lead to lower viscosity even in sythetic oils.

Not everyone here has a vehicle supplied and fueled by their employer and its their hard earned living that is floating out the tailpipe on a cold morning. Perhaps this discussion will have value to them even if it has no value to you.

 

Not until S1a is over, according to a hypermiler (Ken@Japan), because acceleration using ICE isn't possible during this stage.

 

Well I guess you learn something new every day...