Engine block heater in Aus?

[dolce_vita]

Hi,

Is there any Toyota dealers or other places in Australia that sell engine block heaters for the Prius? Or anywhere than can install it if i supply it? (if i bought it from the internet). I've tried Castle Hill Toyota & they have no idea about the part, yet in the US and Japan apparently Toyota sells them as an OEM accessory?

Although it doesnt get THAT cold in Aus that one would be necessary, it improves winter fuel economy noticeably as it pre-warms the Hybrid transaxle allowing the engine shut off from its warmup cycle earlier, thus allowing hypermiling.

Thanks :)

[Guest]

I would be willing to bet that you will need to order this from Toyota USA or Toyota Japan, It will not be an item normally available in Australia...

If you can find a part number you may be able to get it ordered through a Australian dealership, it will not be cheap though, and your Australian delivered prius may not be able to use it.

I would however consider that the energy required to run the heater for long enough to warm the block sufficiently would negate the small fuel savings.

[Braddles]

Hi Dolce Vita

The original Engine Block Heater for the Prius is from Toyota Canada. AFAIK it is fitted to all Toyota Hybrids in Canada and perhaps even to all Toyotas.

I asked a Toyota spare parts guy in Canberra about the EBH. As it happened he had lived in Canada and he immediately understood why it would be a good idea for a Prius in alpine areas of Australia. He also confirmed that Australia doesn't get them.

The EBH is about the size of a cigarette lighter. There is a hole in the block into which the EBH fits snugly. It warms the block and the transmission.

(I've since discovered that emergency vehicles in Canberra have coolant heater pumps plugged in to keep standby engines at or near operating temperature for a fast getaway. I'll try to find the supplier.)

There is a very good reason to pre-heat the engine as is changes the start-up mode that the Prius uses. In summary, if the engine temperature is sufficient, it will not try to start until you demand it. You want to reach Stage 4 ASAP. Gen3 Prius ICE operational temperature stage legend ================================================== Stage S0: 12 seconds, no EV mode Stage S1a: 50 seconds, coolant < 40°C, no EV mode Stage S1b: coolant <(40°C) or (50°C) or < (65°C), no EV mode Stage 2: 40C < Coolant < (70C), EV mode < 16 km/h Stage 3(Normal): coolant > (70C), EV mode < 40km/h, partial glide Stage 4: coolant > 60°C, EV mode < 40 km/h, auto-stop on, full glide ==================================================

BTW, "glide" refers to "pulse and glide", a hyper-miling technique that is very effective in the Prius.

So if you live in a flat area or at the top of the slope, you will be able to drive for some distance effectively in EV mode before the engine needs to start.

However, if you live at the bottom of that slope, the petrol engine will need to start soon anyway. In that case, if you live in a cold area, pre-heating the engine and transmission can have its benefits too as wear and fuel consumption will be reduced.

If you live on a highway on-ramp, you'll be up to speed much quicker and should see a big improvement in fuel economy.

As for energy use, 2-3 hours seems to be the optimal time from even the lowest ambient temperatures. A 400W EBH for 3 hours is 1.2kWh or about 20 cents depending on tariff. And If your timer is set to off-peak, it might be even less.

If I find out more, I'll PM you. In the meantime, here's a thread from PriusChat of an upcoming EBH experiment.

[Braddles]

I just fitted a DEFA engine block heater to my NVW30 Prius.

DEFA is a Norwegian company that makes a huge range of engine block heaters. Their distributors are Waeco-Dometic, but not in Australia where Waeco is better known for cooling than heating. Waeco would need to certify it against Australian electric standards, which isn't economic for the number (1) they are likely to sell.

No such restriction on self-importation.

DEFA doesn't sell them, but Bjørn was very helpful and answered enquires very quickly. I had to find a on-line retailer from Europe. I stumbled onto www.CARandCAMP.de but there's plenty throughout Europe. BTW, you don't pay the VAT since it is an export from EU.

1. Cost $280, including postage from Germany. Considering how much kit you get and how well made and resolved it is, it's worth every Euro.
   
2. You'll pay at least that much for a Toyota EBH from Canada + 110v-240v step-up transformer what enough grunt to run it.
   
3. [Once I thought it through] easy to fit from underneath the car.
   
4. No special tools needed, but you will need a CEE 7/7 plug to AS/NZS 3112 adapter for the power cable.
   
5. Works.
   

I haven't quantified the cost/benefit; I would need to log every data point from a large number of runs. However, switching on for even 20 minutes can help a cold engine.

Maximum time is about 3 hours, after which you won't get more heat into the engine.

And if you are considering a plug-in battery conversion, an EBH might stop the engine from running at all for even bigger savings.

Full details and pix on my blog: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.