[simfree]

Letting the car consume a small amount of constant electricity to keep the battery above freezing is thankfully not very expensive compared to a standard space heater (usually 1.5kW at 720 hours a month, costing $150 a month in Seattle).

Defrosting and toasting the cabin to 92F in freezing conditions usually burns about 1.2kWh to 3kWh while plugged in, but that is just a few tens of cents (or free depending on the charger) to get nearly instantly toasty and ready to drive.

[alphabettsy]

$150/mo just to keep it ready to drive? That doesn’t sound right.

[simfree]

No, I was trying to convey that it costs significantly less than keeping a space heater running 24/7 (which would cost about $150 a month at 14 cents per kilowatt hour).

$10 to $30 a month in power use to keep your battery toasty in the dead of winter isn't too bad a price IMO