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Old 04-03-2012, 05:42 PM   #42 (permalink)
steffen707
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Midwest
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TomO View Post
An extension cord would work but then there'd be vehicles driving over it all day long and it'd need to be at least 75 feet long as I don't get the same parking spot everyday. I feel that the voltage loss may impede EBH performance as well as being a pain to wind up the cord as parents are driving through picking up their kids at the end of the school day.

I just live with the slightly less MPG for the drive home. I hit the highway within 1 minute of starting the car so at least the car warms fast and hits the highway mpg pretty fast.

Perhaps a solar array roof charging a secondary battery that would power the EBH???? Nahh, don't have the money or time for that, lol.
Buy a super sweet retractable hose reel and mount it in your tiny engine bay somehow, then you can just pull the cord out the bumper. Bet people would wonder about your new plug in hybrid.

Thanks for all the block heater info Tom. I really gotta do this next year, because even with a 40+ degree heated garage, I would consistantly get 7-10mpg less this winter than last winter because I have a very short 2 mile commute that is 1 mile of highway.

The car would barely get up to temp by the time I got to work, and would blow luke warm air at best.
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