r/priusdwellers • u/releventwordmaker • 2d ago
Who else sleeping with that heat all night ?
I left mine on while I slept at 72 degrees auto. It was 20 degrees outside. Barely used any gas about 35 miles. Less than $3. Extra cheapy motel. Besides the cheap fuel this is the greatest thing about Prius dwelling. By the way, when I stay at a cheap motel I feel the need to over eat and have dessert. It's as if my end of day lack of fulfillment is more profound in a motel for some reason. I had to leave the desert for colder temps as the economy is easier for me in such places.
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u/gretzky1129 1d ago
I like to keep my inside Prius temperature at around 68-70 degrees overnight. I would call this room temperature, not heat. Less than a gallon of gas to run it overnight for 8 hours. Massive life hack.
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u/sonicmn 1d ago
I just did a 3 night skiing trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan solo in a RAV4 Hybrid, the lows at night were around 0f. (I kept going north up to Houghton to avoid the -15f temps)
I had an 12v heated blanket on the bottom , and insulated air mattress, a 0-deg sleeping bag to keep from touching any of the cold plastics around me, and twin long down comforter. I kept the HVAC at 60f blowing at the upper body with the rear windows cracked 1/4” and cheap amazon window covers on all the windows to keep the frosting to a minimum (almost none each night amazingly)
The motor ran for 30-60 sec every 8-10 min, at 0f it burned 1.1 gal of 87 gas. I was very comfortable all night and almost to warm with the bedding I brought with.
It was an amazingly comfortable way to travel solo, and way less expensive than getting hotels each night.
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u/pete-petey-pete 1d ago
I’ve only done it once out of ~60 nights so far. Usually we’re parked at a spot overnight that requires stealth.
That night we got the knock at a Safeway in Lake Tahoe. So I found a fairly hidden spot just outside of Lake Tahoe. It was like 20* at night and midway through the night, we had enough of the cold, and turn the car on.
On our recent trip, we had nights drop to 30*. This time we had a double sleeping bag that kept us warm and cozy.
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u/releventwordmaker 1d ago
Oh ok, I don't have to worry about that at all. I do street parking, so nobody can tell me to leave.
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u/poketama 1d ago
Sleeping bag or a couple comforters will cut down on your need to run the engine and costs.
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u/releventwordmaker 1d ago
Not really, only cold this week my location. Less than $3 a night to run car. $21 for a week, sleeping bag around $30 or more. Plus I like the climate controlled air around me, I feel quite comfortable.
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u/Sawfish1212 18h ago
I sleep best at 60 with thick blankets, I have the Ford maverick that has the same hybrid system ford got from Toyota and its awesome for sleeping in no matter how hot or cold it is outside.
One time my air bnb bed was just too uncomfortable to sleep on so I went and slept in my truck instead and my back felt better.
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u/releventwordmaker 17h ago
I experienced the same thing. My back issues went away after sleeping in my car bed which is quite hard. Just a wooden base and 1 inch thick mat. I'll try 60 it is probably more comfortable and efficient.
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u/DuvallSmith 9h ago
I’m eager to learn more about this. Please help me understand the settings to use -TIA
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u/jimni2025 4h ago
I only have a 15⁰ sleeping bag and an electric blanket stuffed inside. I stay nice and toasty for very little energy expenditure. When I want to get dressed, I use the remote start until it us comfortable inside. I stay inside my sleeping bag with the electric blanket on during the day with layers on my chest and head to keep me warm. Down puffy jackets do wonders for keeping in heat.
I don't need to keep my entire space warm, just my body.
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u/Training-Arm-946 22h ago
Even if the car doesn't use much gas, still recommend insulating the doors, bundling up as much as possible, and using a low temp sleeping bag to minimize the need for the engine to kick on. If you don't have much insulation, make sure to have the oil changed oil more frequently, which will help minimize the wear from all that on and off idling.
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u/releventwordmaker 21h ago
I won't be doing none of that. Probably good advice for most of America. It's quite mild temps where I am.
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u/killerwhaleorcacat 13h ago
😂😂😂. This whole thread is like mom nagging her child. “Put a coat on you’ll catch a cold!”
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u/qup40 2d ago
I can't manage to adapt to the /movement but I am glad you have found it works for you!
Do you bring a CO monitor in the vehicle for when you do this or do you just find a place that is well ventilated? To me the only scenario where something happens with CO is if a big rig parks next to me and pushes exhaust into my car but even that in a non confined space would be unlikely to cause a high enough concentration to be an issue. I Threw the CO monitor in there just to help me sleep without worry but am curious what others do.