DaveM Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Is my wife's Hybrid the only one so cold blooded? If left on automatic it takes forever before you hear the heater fan come on or at least to a higher speed. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisw Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) The amount of time depends on how much the ICE runs. It is best with the hybrid to not use the blower until the ICE warms up. The hybrid is no more cold blooded than any other car. Running in EV mode does not allow the ICE to warm up. Edited February 5, 2012 by dennisw 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveM Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 By the time I leave my subdivision my 2011Equinox is putting out heat. The hybrid needs at least three times that distance with some at 55mph. I think that is unacceptable. Even letting it do it's thing it don't/won't run on battery in 10 degree weather relieablely for many miles. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
award Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Is my wife's Hybrid the only one so cold blooded? If left on automatic it takes forever before you hear the heater fan come on or at least to a higher speed. I'd disagree with dennisw a litte: If you start out in a neighborhood at low speeds like I do, you may not cause the engine to rev up at all. I generally go about 5 minutes with the engine idling in cold weather, because the hybrid will use the HVB to get me out of the driveway and started down the street. Then I'm basically cruising down residential streets at low speed (25mph), so the engine never works enough to increase the heat production. Our old Honda Fit produced heat faster in cold weather because it can't sit there and idle in the same scenario. Once I hit the main road, I get heat quick, just like any other car. The automatic climate control might be a little pessimistic about whether the heater is ready, but if you're concerned that it's not working properly, see if it comes right on after a short stop, such as pumping gas or a quick grocery run. When the engine is already hot, it should blow warm air almost immediately. One of the effects of higher efficiency is less waste. Cabin heat is a waste product of the engine, so there's less of it in the hybrids because they only run the engine to produce exactly the power needed for driving & maintaining the battery. My classic Prius before the Fusion, and my wife's Lexus CT 200h all have the same issue. The extra fuel your Equinox is burning in the subdivision (compared to a hybrid) is going to cabin heat instead of driving. All that said, buy your wife a nice pair of gloves. It's still going to be cold outside when she eventually gets out of the car. :-) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FusionDiffusion Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Use your block heater if you've got one... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolder Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 If you just turn the blower on manually, you may get heat a little sooner than in Auto. The temperature setting will still determine whether the ICE runs to get the car warm. I think I or somebody else posted a link to a cheap 150 watt 12 vdc plug in heater somewhere on this forum. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisw Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) I'd disagree with dennisw a litte: If you start out in a neighborhood at low speeds like I do, you may not cause the engine to rev up at all. I generally go about 5 minutes with the engine idling in cold weather, because the hybrid will use the HVB to get me out of the driveway and started down the street. Then I'm basically cruising down residential streets at low speed (25mph), so the engine never works enough to increase the heat production. Our old Honda Fit produced heat faster in cold weather because it can't sit there and idle in the same scenario. Once I hit the main road, I get heat quick, just like any other car. The automatic climate control might be a little pessimistic about whether the heater is ready, but if you're concerned that it's not working properly, see if it comes right on after a short stop, such as pumping gas or a quick grocery run. When the engine is already hot, it should blow warm air almost immediately. One of the effects of higher efficiency is less waste. Cabin heat is a waste product of the engine, so there's less of it in the hybrids because they only run the engine to produce exactly the power needed for driving & maintaining the battery. My classic Prius before the Fusion, and my wife's Lexus CT 200h all have the same issue. The extra fuel your Equinox is burning in the subdivision (compared to a hybrid) is going to cabin heat instead of driving. All that said, buy your wife a nice pair of gloves. It's still going to be cold outside when she eventually gets out of the car. :-) Sounds like you agree to me you said the same thing in more words. Get the ICE running and it will warm the same as any car. And I will say it again when the fan is on and the water is not hot it takes longer to have heat. As for your other car it warms faster because there is more friction this is not a good thing less friction is better and much more acceptable. Edited February 5, 2012 by dennisw 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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