How do I tell my prius "input the cabin air from the direction of the ICE so I get the hottest possible air, but don't turn on the ICE when I'm stopped *just* to provide me with hot air?" When I stop at a stoplight, I want the ICE to turn off as normal..but I still want the air to come from the ICE--while it's off (so it's as-hot-as-possible-with-the-ICE-off air) I don't want the coldest possible air, but I don't want to be burning petrol for the sole purpose of generating hot air.
There are ceramic heaters in the defrost mode. They can add some heat separate from the engine. I know of no way to forbid the engine from starting.
If your battery is warm enough and has enough bars you can use EV-button. North American model doesn’t have one from the factory so first you need to install it. Second option (and the only one that will always work is to use neutral. So when you’re standing still and engine is not running switch gear to neutral. Then no matter how you use the heater engine won’t start. But remember to monitor the hybrid battery bars, if it gets down two 2 bars go back to drive/park. Don’t use the windscreen blow direction as Prius wants to run the engine lot more in that mode. I use the windscreen+feet mode with fan on the slowest speed and temperature at 16c (61F) for almost the whole winter.
This is great info, but what do you mean by "Don’t use the windscreen blow direction as Prius wants to run the engine lot more in that mode." What is the windscreen blow direction?
It’s the mode when blower only blows to front windshield. You get to it by either pressing the button on steering wheel or from MFD touchscreen. On my Prius engine always runs on that mode unless engine temperature is more than 65c or 149F. On the windshield+feet mode engine can be a lot cooler and still not run. And in the winter you pretty much have to have some airflow to windscreen to keep it from fogging/freezing so those two are the only blow directions that you can really use in the winter.
