Mark_Logan t1_iurb82e wrote on November 2, 2022 at 1:36 PM

Reply to comment by Etiennera in 30 minutes of car preheating in sub-zero conditions produces as much particulate emissions as driving 97km in a gasoline car, or 20km in a diesel car “These findings do not suggest to stop preheating cars; instead, we could reduce the emissions by using similar methods that are in place for engine” by giuliomagnifico

While they do become harder to start, most modern gas cars will start in extreme cold weather (Below -40c/f) without block heaters, so long as the battery is in good condition.

Diesel vehicles suffer more because of the incredibly high compression that the starter has to overcome, in addition to the environmental factors that effect both vehicles the same.

In my youth, I lived in the far north of Canada and I remember having to put an insulated tarp over the front of the truck and running a tiger torch under the truck for 15 minutes to get things warmed up. You did this if the truck cranked but didn’t fire. You didn’t want to grind down the battery too much. We couldn’t plug the truck’s block heater in while on the ice road, off the grid. It worked like a charm. Craziest part was when you disconnected the torch from the propane tank, I remember seeing liquid droplets of propane flow out onto the ice before boiling off in the frigid air.