I grew up in snow country. Guess I've always known, if you get stuck in a blizzard, make sure the exhaust remains clear so you don't build up carbon monoxide in the car, tenjust stay in the car. Use the heater to keep warm. What would I do in the Prius? Near as I can tell, when I am at a stand still I am running heat off the electric motor, not the gas engine. I have never needed to use this advice, and I pray I never do have to. But I think I should know what to do, "just in case." I still live in snow country, after all. Appreciate any guidance.
well.. sitting in the cold, with the auto climate control ( A/C ) on and set to 73 or 74 so i'm nice and comfortable. with the sterio set to 2 or 3. the car will cycle and consume about a gallon every 12 hours. i would say to stick with your instincts on this one, just make sure the exhaust is cleared... btw, my prius won't forge through too much snow... (i'm thinking when you wake up and try to move )
You just never know! There are news reports of people going off the highway and are not found for days. I have a pack I carry with chocolate and health bars, water and am about to add a down sleeping bag. The pack goes over the passenger seat.
With ambients just below 0F (-19C) I sat in the car warm and toasty for three hours at last years "Hypothermic run". No snow to deal with, other than the little that was on the ground. It's a good idea to get out every hour or so and clear the snow off the car so potential rescuers can find you, and as mentioned above, clear around the exhaust. Just leave the car in "ready", A/C auto on, temp set to whatever you find comfortable. Use a lower temp if you are properly dressed, so you don't sweat too much. The engine cycles on and off as needed to heat the interior. All heat comes from the engine, even though there are two 400W heating elements in the ducting. 800W won't be very noticeable at 0F! I think I burned around 2-3 litres. Ruined my mileage on that tank!
Oh great, thank you everyone! I was afraid the ICE would not come on, I'd run the battery down and be without heat, yet have plenty of gas. Good to know! VTMRGRTVL, I was afraid that if I put "blizzahd," we'd get off topic with accent discussions! But yes, I am a Bostonian originally and that is how I say it!
As a prior poster said, just make sure your car is in Ready. Meaning it's in the "normal" mode that putting it in drive will allow you to drive away. Do not have your vehicle in neutral. Any other mode and you'll find yourself cold with a dead battery.
+1 What he said. Make sure it says "Ready" on the dash. Oh, and the engine will cycle a bit less if you turn off the lights and radio, BUT, if you end up in the dark, you might sacrifice a bit more MPG and have at least the marker lights (parking lights) on, so no one (like a snowplow) hits you! When I lived in Minnesota, it was considered a good idea to have one of those bright orange bicycle flags in the car, so you could attach it to the antenna if stuck in a drift...
So, to summarize: 1.) Pull over and park with the car on. Set the heat as you like. 2.) The ICE will come on and off as needed for heat or to top up the traction battery. 3.) Maybe leave the running lights on if you're near a road. 4.) maybe keep provisions and a blanket in the back somewhere. 5.) If you want to be thorough you can buy a piece of that flexible metal exaust pipe they sell in auto stores, put a fitting on either end so it can just stick on over the exaust pipe, and use it as a tailpipe extender while you sit there. Length would equal whatever fits well in the lower trunk.
i like the flexible metal pipe idea. i was going to recommend this the other day since there are vents in the back of your prius that will let in exhause if your exhaust pipe experiances any type of back draft towards those vents. to keep this from happening, make sure your climate control stays on, and you don't leave windows cracked while the ICE is running.. as that's probably one of the only ways that exhaust can make it's way up through those vents.. and out your windows. (chimney effect...) i was worried about hot exhaust.. but with soo many catalytic converters and such.. the exhaust tip has to be cold.. snow helps too.. haha..
