Little Known Way To Increase Toyota Prius EV Efficiency During Winter

Pandj Be from Cheyenne, Vyoming is one of my Facebook friends and an avid EV advocate. Several days ago he shared this cool trick to increase his Toyota Prius EV mode range during winter. Here is Pndj in his own words.

Increasing Prius EV Mode Range

"Prius lips" installed, ready for the duration of winter. I did this,last year and even with the hotter (190°) thermostat I had installed, there, was no overheating problems. This did help get the engine up to temperature more quickly and maintain temperature so that even in cold weather I could shift the car into "Pure EV Mode". It also runs more efficiently in "Blended Hybrid Mode" as well. I did this with 3/4" pipe insulation and zip ties. At the end of last May, I cut the ties to remove the foam. These will stay on even through a car wash.

What else you can to to increase Toyota Prius' EV Mode Range During Winter.

Geoff Jung replied to Pandj Be's post and shared the following.

I can see how they look like lips. I have a garage heated to 52 ° F., and a 2013 plug in prius. Two full lips would block my lower grill 100% but for outdoor temperatures between 23° and 52° F., I use a pair of lips such that between them I cover 7/12 of the opening. They are black pipe wrap, with slots in the back for the grill work. I have a few extra lips in longer lengths for use as the outdoor temperatures get lower later this year. EV mode at 55mph with snow in the air is a treat compared to last year, where having an unheated garage limited my top EV speed to about 30 mph. I may be using too much lip for longer and faster trips, but for 15 to 30 mile trips at 60mph and below these lips work well.

What do you do to increase the EV mode range of your Toyota Prius during winter?