This is a bit in advance, but it's occurred to me that I may need to brainstorm a plot to allow me to safely start my car in the winter.
I can plug the car in at my house, so that is not an issue. However, I will be parked at the University during the day and I won't be able to plug the car in there. I live in Manitoba and it can periodically get very, very cold during the winter. Last year there were a few days that dipped below -50 degrees Celcius, and I am concerned that starting the car at this temperature without the benefit of having the block heater plugged in may be very bad for it.
So far, my scheme is to have an additional battery setup in the hatch which will run the block heater. That battery could be recharged when I have the car plugged in at my home. I do not want to use the IMA battery pack to prevent undue cycling, unless the amount of energy used by the block heater is very small.
So, my questions are, how much power does the block heater draw, and approximately how long does it take to warm the block sufficiently to start it safely? (if I can put it on a timer, I'll be able to conserve a lot more energy)
I can plug the car in at my house, so that is not an issue. However, I will be parked at the University during the day and I won't be able to plug the car in there. I live in Manitoba and it can periodically get very, very cold during the winter. Last year there were a few days that dipped below -50 degrees Celcius, and I am concerned that starting the car at this temperature without the benefit of having the block heater plugged in may be very bad for it.
So far, my scheme is to have an additional battery setup in the hatch which will run the block heater. That battery could be recharged when I have the car plugged in at my home. I do not want to use the IMA battery pack to prevent undue cycling, unless the amount of energy used by the block heater is very small.
So, my questions are, how much power does the block heater draw, and approximately how long does it take to warm the block sufficiently to start it safely? (if I can put it on a timer, I'll be able to conserve a lot more energy)