Hello, all. I've had a 2014 Prius C II for three months now and have noticed that the combustion engine comes on with quite a bit of force when the car is turned on for awhile. I then stays on for two or so minutes revving itself away. This seems to kill my MPG numbers as I always start with between 9 and 18 by the time the engine calms down. Is this normal? Is there some way to limit it? I don't live in a particularly cold place (San Francisco hits lows of 50 at worst).
Here are the warm up stages for the Gen 3, the c will be similar. The Five Stages of Prius Hybrid Operation | PriusChat You can use an engine block heater and /or grill blocking to minimize (but not eliminate) time spent in warmup stages. Engine Block Heater for 2012-2014 Toyota Prius c - PriusChat Shop
for most pri, the ice starts within a few seconds of starting the car. it must warm up and stay warm for emissions purposes. otherwise, other than hvac, it's a nice blend of ice and electric to achieve record breaking mpg's. however, if you have a very short commute, you will suffer from warm up psychosis and never reach the mpg's you desire. they will still be higher than a similar size gasser tho.
So how does the engine block heater work, exactly? Do you need to plug it into the wall right before you drive? How long does it have to be plugged before you can drive?
they're great in cold country, but you're gonna offset your increased mpg's with increased electric bills.
