Hybrrrrrids

Sure, hybrids get great mileage, but how do they handle a harsh Minnesota winter? Scope out this in-depth look at the cold weather performance of hybrid cars. J. Trout Lowen shows us that

Despite a dip in gas mileage, gas-electric hybrids make good winter cars.

If you’ve lived and driven in Minnesota for more than a few years you might recognize this as the sluggish sound of a cold engine. With temperatures that can bottom out at 30 degrees below zero or worse, frequent snowfall and icy roads, Minnesota winters can be tough on cars.

Over time we’ve developed a host of inventive ways to make sure our cars start each morning, from heated garages and the electric block heater to low-tech solutions like engine blankets and climbing out our warm beds to trek to the garage at 3 a.m. to start the car.

There is one group of car owners, however, who can remain snugly tucked in, secure in the knowledge that their cars will start: hybrid vehicle owners.

As combination gas/electric vehicles like the Toyota Prius, the Honda Civic, and the Ford Escape become more popular, owners are finding out that they’re more than good for the environment, they are good winter cars.

Cold cranking

There are a couple of reasons it’s hard to start a traditional gas-powered engine in the cold. As the temperature drops, oil turns sluggish, making it harder to turn the engine over. Cold is also tough on car batteries. A traditional 12-volt lead-acid battery loses half its starting power at 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

“The Prius is the only vehicle in the world that specifically addresses cold weather conditions. Through the use of a heat recovery system that functions similarly to a thermos bottle, the engine can be kept at approximately 170 degrees for up to three days,” says Alan Krutsch of Walser Automotive Group.

Hybrid cars are less vulnerable to the cold. Their electric motors don’t use oil, and the nickel-metal hydride batteries they run on aren’t nearly as sensitive to the cold as lead-acid as they are much larger than a traditional car battery.

Hey, what happened to my mileage?

Hybrids aren’t completely immune to winter’s woes, however. That terrific gas mileage that hybrid owners like to tout does drop off as the weather turns colder, and that can come as a surprise to some new owners.  “Drivers of all vehicles including Prius will notice about a 4% decrease during winter months owing to the ethanol ratio in gasoline,” says Krutsch.

Paul Clabo, an attorney who commutes 25 miles each way from his south Minneapolis home to his office in Anoka, watched the gas mileage on his 2008 Prius fall from 52 mpg during the summer to just below 30 mpg this winter.

“I’ve just watched it consistently drop as we’ve gotten colder and colder,” Clabo says. “It’s still very good, but it’s not as good as it was in the summer months.”

Kathy Ayaz of Eden Prairie has also seen a similar drop in gas mileage with her 2005 Prius, from around 50 mpg in the summer to 40 mpg in the winter. The decrease in mileage isn’t specific to hybrids, however; the same cold weather issues affect all types of vehicles.

Nobody likes climbing into an icy cold car, so we tend to let our car run a bit more in the winter to warm up the cabin, or while we scrape off the windshield. Those extra minutes idling add up to reduced gas mileage overall.

Cold engines run at higher rpms and the colder it is, the longer it takes for the engine to warm up. Cold tires are stiffer, and roads covered with ice and snow offer more resistance. The ice and snow on your car can add to the drag on gas mileage. Running the heater, defroster and headlights also factor in.

“And finally,” says Matt Stenstrom, a sales representative at Buerkle Honda in White Bear Lake, “winter road conditions just require more breaking and slower starting on slippery ground after you stop. While all these things are true for traditional gas-powered cars, too, the drop in gas mileage for a traditional car, which is lower to begin with, might not be as obvious.”

Despite any decrease in mileage, both Ayaz and Clabo are happy with their hybrid’s winter performance. “I’ll only buy hybrids from now on,” Ayaz says. “My husband’s going to buy one for his next car, too.”