Left-field question: Can you walk away and leave a Prius running with the doors locked?

The turd gen trim 3 and 4 only has the AC on w/fob function, if your HV battery is lower than 40% then it will come on for only a few seconds and turn off.

Disclaimer- this reply may not apply in all situations.

 

I had the same idea and tried this the other day. It worked well, but I was surprised to learn that the fob would not unlock the car -- neither by proximity nor by pressing the unlock button. I had to use the key to unlock the door. Not really a problem, I just thought it was interesting.

 

I do this all the time. Not because I hate the planet, but because when I'm on road trips in The South or Southwest, the heat from even going inside a store for 10 minutes will quickly build in the car. So, I leave the car on with the AC or heater (when back in The North) occasionally.

I just use the mechanical key to lock and unlock it.

Things like these are literally the main reason I have a hybrid. There are normal gas engines that get equally good MPG and are more luxurious for less money. The benefit of a hybrid is being able to leave the engine on without wasting too much gas. Such as when I sleep in it on long road trips.

Regarding theft, the chances are pretty low. It requires all these factors:
1: If you're leaving your car on while you're away, it's probably for a relatively short amount of time. The doors are locked.
2: A person willing to commit a felony has to happen to be in the area in the short amount of time you're gone and happens to be near enough to hear the electric compressor quietly running.
3: The person breaks into the vehicle and drives off with no one noticing.
4: The farthest the person can go would be a 300-mile diameter until they turn it off to gas up and are unable to restart it. Police find and arrest the thief. The only people who would know you can't restart it is someone already familiar with Toyota hybrids. Not exactly the criminal demographic.

Honestly, someone is significantly more likely to break a window to steal an item in the car while it is off and you're away.

 

I believe someone stated that in some states it is against the law to leave a car running while unattended.
The law will consider a Prius as "running" when it is in the ready mode.
Since you are only going to be "leaving your car on while you're away, it's probably for a relatively short amount of time",
WHY leave it running???

A lot of car theft's are crime of opportunity, kids joy riding. And thieves will be willing to drive your car to
there chop shop to strip it for parts, like the cat, battery, etc.

People watch criminals beat up other people without at least trying to stop them, they watch them damage
property, all the time.

Criminals are thankful for the "it won't happen to me" attitude.

But it is YOUR car....

 

The laws discuss idling -- "running" is defined as the engine idling. You cannot stop and let the engine idle for a specific period of time, in the city where I work its three minutes.

The Prius never idles that long when in READY mode, so it should be fine under laws about leaving a vehicle running.

The bigger problem would be from laws which discuss what you have to do when you park a car.

Obviously, they didn't write this with the Prius in mind because under the OP scenario, the key is removed and the engine "first stopped" but they probably have the OP on "locking the ignition."

 

The way it was explained to me, if "someone" can get in the car and drive it off, it's running.
Lot's of legal crap on definition, but BASICALLY, the Prius IS idling, even though the motor is not running.
The hybrid battery is enabled (running), this is how the Prius "idles".
I know, every state has it's laws and description. But even with a NON hybrid car, with the windows closed,
car locked, if it's "on", that is not legal.

Bottom line, WHY would you want to make it easier for a thief to steel your car?

 

And the engine does run, on and off.

I distinctly remember, about a decade back, out in the yard weeding, someone pulled up accross the street, their kid hopped out for a music lesson, and they sat in their car idling, windows rolled up, for about 45 minutes, with the fans roaring on and off every minute or so.

Nice day, about 70F. All I could think was "what an idiot...".

 

I know I'm fighting a losing battle here, but I'll explain my rationale. For me, it's simply a comfort thing. It's a first-world problem, but with terrible insulation, the Prius cabin heats up very quickly in the sun and gets cold quickly in the winter. Then the fake leather burns or freezes your skin.
Regarding idling laws, the purpose was to minimize noxious emissions from diesel trucks, especially near HVAC air intakes in cities. If I were to get a ticket for violating idling laws, I'd still lose, but I would argue that if diesel trucks can simply utilizing an Auxillary Power Unit to avoid tickets, so can my hybrid.
Your argument is fully logical, but so is mine. The difference is simply how much risk we're willing to accept for comfort.

 

I'd agree, one diesel truck rolling by (or an aging VW, or a "classic vehicle") dumps a way disproportionate amount of pollution.

 

Welcome to my world on PC During summer weekends, some of my grocery runs begins at 5:30am, they are few miles apart and take minutes for me to go in and out of the stores. The engine temp will never get to optimal heat so comes more poo-pooing from others, I do the full grill block bottom half, leave engine on with doors locked and parking brake on. This reduces ICE from firing back up to get temps to 190F, to save gas obviously.

Disclaimer- this reply may not apply in all situations.

 

The law was there years before smog crap.
It's to prevent the car from being stolen.
You're not being logical, you are going to do it no matter what anyone says.
You are just looking people that will agree with you so you'll feel better about doing something
that you know is not a very smart thing to do. You know you are going to leave your car running
unattended, it's YOUR choice. Just remember, if some kid decides to take it for a joy ride, and
kills somebody, YOU are responsible for it.

My silver Prius doesn't get that hot sitting in the sun. I'm very surprised.
And it cools off fast. I have cloth seats. Leather/pleather seat suck!
Get cloth seat covers.

 

There was someone here a few years who was looking for assurance that it was ok to leave his Prius running while gassing up. Apparently to avoid the car reverting to "closed loop" program.

 

That is one of the purposes, in some places. Theft prevention is another of the purposes, not necessarily in the same places.

 

I'll admit, I do miss the cloth seats on my 2nd gen. They were somehow more comfortable than the 3rd gen.

Edit: Also, getting strangers to agree with me on the internet isn't very high on my priority list. I was simply explaining why I occasionally do it, not looking for corroboration.

Regarding the logicality of my statement, it is still literally logical in the academic sense. By building upon my previous statements, if accepted as true, then my final conclusion is reasonable. That's what I meant. I'm not trying to convince anyone to do what I do because it doesn't necessarily make the world a better place.

 

I remember doctors use to bleed people when they were sick.....

 

He was also their barber and surgeon. The red and white stripped barber pole represents bloodletting.

 

Now they just bleed your wallet with jacked up doctor bills and big pharma snake pills.

 

sadly, a criminal could leave the engine running while filling up the car, and go at least an additional three hundred miles...

 

Or never shut it off, and continue to run it for years!

 

Warning: The following rant contains statistics and personally held beliefs.

Good Lord people. If you're really serious about keeping your Prius from being stolen, add a security system to your garage, lock the car in there and never drive it anywhere. That will almost guarantee a thief can't get it. But in order for the car to be of any use to you, it must leave the security of the garage -- which intails assuming some risk. The amount of risk depends on lots of factors like where you live, where you drive, how long you'll be leaving it unattended, etc..
Like most things in life, each of us needs to make a personal decision about how much risk is acceptable for the given reward/convenience.

I live in the state with the country's 2nd lowest number of vehicle thefts, and the 2nd lowest vehicle theft rate per capita. (Maine) I have never had a car stolen. I don't know anyone who has had their car stolen. I don't believe I know anyone who knows anyone who's had their car stolen. There were apparently 777 vehicle thefts in Maine in 2018. I find that number shockingly high. I don't know for a fact, but it wouldn't surprise me if most of them are domestic disputes over ownership, and not actual burglaries.

99% of the time my vehicles sit in my driveway, unlocked with the keys in the ignition or in a cupholder between the seats. To some of you that likely seems insane. But to me, given the circumstances in which I live, it's an acceptable level of risk for the convenience of not having to search through the entire house for my wife's or daughter's purses to see if I can find the keys each time I need to move one of their cars in the driveway.
I do however always lock my car when I leave the house -- whether at work, the grocery store, etc.. Having said that, I would have no problem doing what the OP and others have suggested. For once, I can say I agree with @Grit!

Now if I lived in Florida like @ASRDogman, or one of the other high theft states, I would probably reassess my risk/reward analysis.
But it's not just about vehicle theft statistics -- it's about an individual's comfort level with risk. Just like with decisions about insurance and investments -- there is no right or wrong strategy that applies to all people. BTW, I also ride a motorcycle -- what does that say about my risk tolerance? And I frequently leave my helmet hanging on the footpeg (unlocked) when I go into a store.

End rant.