Does the Prius Plug-in warms up the engine in the morning before one can drive in electric mode? I have Prius 'v' (getting about 50MPG) so I'm curious.
it doesn't automaticlly do anything. If you left the HVAC system in "auto', its very likely to start the engine, as its required for heat. If you didn't charge the car up, and it doesn't have enough energy to be in "EV" mode, the engine will start. If you punch the accelerator while driving in EV mode, the engne will start up. If you press the "EV/HV" button, the engine will start up (assuming it was in EV mode of course) If you drive faster than 62-63MPH, the engine will start up. so, no it doesn't start to "warm up" (which it does in about 1-2 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature), but there are many conditions the driver can do, which will cause the engine to start.
