Originally published at: How Siberians keep their cars running when its -58 degrees outside | Boing Boing
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A big part of why I moved to where I live now. We consider -10C really intolerably cold.
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In most parts of Canada (not necessary in mine, thankfully), cars have an engine heater that just stays plugged in over night. But, then again, it’s only -40C.
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Home of the original Polar Express™!
When I was in northern Maine, we had a cold snap – probably about -30C – at a time when my car had to be parked out in the elements, and we didn’t have the option of a block heater. It would not start at all, but it would crank. I eventually pulled the spark plugs and brought them inside to warm up for a bit. Started right up after that.
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My car is literally plugged in right now. only -35ºC tonight, though.
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wait. temperatures can be negative!? isn’t there some divide by zero error where the simulation causes all your body parts to fall off? too cold for me 
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-40ºC is exactly the same as -40ºF, they’re both too bloody cold!
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If any car nerds are curious ablut that cool UAZ 452 van in the photo:
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This should be prefaced with “old cars”. Growing up in Canada, we did all these things as well. Block heaters, a torch to thaw out the transmission sometimes, etc. There were days I missed university classes because my differential or transmission was frozen even though the car started because the block heater was plugged in. When winter camping, we’d build a fire under the car to get it start in the morning. My dad worked as an arctic pipe welder in school, and they left their cars running for six months over winter. Filled them up while running, etc. Never shut them off because they wouldn’t start again until spring.
However newer cars are so, so much better. I have a 2022 truck with the full cold weather package on it, and it doesn’t even have a block heater. I parked it outside for a week at -35 and it started on the second crank. It’s amazing how much better cars have gotten. I asked the salesman why it didn’t have one and he said “they don’t need them anymore”. He was right.
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It is! Modern cars are amazing. So much better than the old ones I spent my childhood in.
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One time traveling across Spain on a motorcycle in February, I survived the coldest night I’ve ever experienced in a tent. I woke up to find myself in the middle of nowhere with my bike refusing to turn over. So after faffing around a bit, I got out my petrol stove, lit it and placed it under the engine for about thirty minutes.
With the engine oil warmed up somewhat, the motor was turning over but still had no inclination to start. I tried heating the spark plugs but that didn’t help.
So in a last-ditch effort, I removed the battery and placed it on the stove and retired to a safe distance. I guessed the cooking time for a battery to be about 15 minutes, after which I removed it from the stove and reinstalled it on the bike.
Not sure what to expect, I thumbed the starter button and the thing grumbled back to life with very little difficulty…
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that is definitely the extreme version of “have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in?”
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Not last ditch at all! That was honestly the second thing to try after warming the crankcase. Standard batteries lose almost all their cranking amps in the cold. The chemistry of them stops working. In Canada we have special winter batteries that work better, but it can still be a problem.
This is a problem for EVs that nobody ever talks about, too. In the winter in Canada, they lose about 40% of their range because of the cold. It’s not because you’re running the heater or the motors are cold or anything- it’s just because battery chemistry stops working in the cold.
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I assure you, this is talked about a lot. 
Some hybrids have insulated fluid reservoirs for maintaining hot water overnight in the winter, and EVs and hybrids can have battery warmers, too. My Leaf warms up the cab and the batteries in winter before I leave for work in the morning, using the charger connection for juice so warming the batteries doesn’t deplete the batteries, if you know what I mean.
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I assure you, I never hear about it in any general discussions of EVs.
No need to mansplain EV construction to me. I drove EVs exclusively for six years and spent 25 years building race cars. Thanks though.
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Really? I hear about it pretty much constantly. We must have very different friend-o-spheres.
EDIT: I would love to hear about your race car building days any time you want to share!
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