• @kent_eh
    link
    English
    355 months ago

    It’s idiotic and not safe at all.

    Not to mention completely useless in places where you need to wear gloves when driving.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      -315 months ago

      wear gloves when driving

      For example?
      If it’s so cold that you wear gloves, then get your AC fixed because it should’ve been running by the time you drive off.

      • Urist
        link
        fedilink
        English
        305 months ago

        Hmm, that’s a strange comment you left. I’m not the person you responded to but:

        When I get off work it’s just before dawn (coldest part of the day) and it’s frequently 10 Fahrenheit or lower in the winter (below freezing). I wear gloves in my car in the winter because cars don’t warm up enough for the heat to come on right away. I don’t want to walk through the cold into a cold car and grab a literal freezing steering wheel and hold on to it for 10 mins until the heat kicks on. My drive is about 35 min in good conditions.

        I’m assuming you live in a warm place or don’t drive a car, good for you. Wish I had public transportation.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          15 months ago

          They probably drive a car where they can tell the car to warm or cool the cabin remotely. My problem is opposite yours, even with the windscreen covered the car will heat to 50°C (112°F) and if sunlight was on anything, that thing will be too hot to touch.

          So I tell my car to keep the air con on while I’m in the shops, tell it to start cooling when I’m returning to it after I’ve been away longer than I like to run AC

          In your scenario, I would ask the car to be warm an hour before I needed it

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          -65 months ago

          it’s frequently 10 Fahrenheit or lower in the winter

          Fair enough, we don’t hit such temperatures regularly in Warsaw (Poland).

          a literal freezing steering wheel

          Is it that bad? Wow. Didn’t know that. I though the cage would provide at least some thermal insulation.

          hold on to it for 10 mins until the heat kicks on

          If my colleagues lived in a climate as cold as yours, they’d have mounted parking heaters (e.g. Webasto) by now. Electrics struggle in cold, but they can preheat themselves before the ride, using just the electricity.

          I’m assuming you live in a warm place

          Warsaw is at the same latitude as Edmonton in Canada, so shouldn’t be really that warmer.

          or don’t drive a car

          Winter 2022/23 was when we still were in our previous office. It was ½ hour long commute with my Xiaomi M365 electric scooter. This winter 2023/24 we moved to an office further away, so I was forced to change my daily vehicle to a motorcycle, maxiscooter SYM MaxSym 600i ABS. At least you have the goddamn cage.

          Wish I had public transportation.

          I miss having good alternative commute via metro and tram to our old office. Took almost the same time as e-scooter. But our new office? Public transit takes 2x as long as a motorcycle commute, according to Google Maps Timeline, so might as well not exist. So now we’re in similar situation. Wish you luck…

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            95 months ago

            Warsaw, same as other European cities, is a lot warmer than North American cities of the same latitude due to warming from the Gulf Stream.

            Gloves are not optional in cold climates.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            1
            edit-2
            5 months ago

            Warsaw is at the same latitude as Edmonton in Canada, so shouldn’t be really that warmer.

            Reading a climate chart for Warsaw, it seems like January lows average out to -5C and your coldest days dip under -20C? Feel free to correct that considering you would know better than I.

            In Edmonton, January lows average to -15C, and winter temperatures can dip down to -35C (or rarely even worse) along with nasty winds. It’s a surprisingly harsh climate.

            I live around Ottawa, Canada and our winter experience is basically Edmonton with less wind and more humidity. You scrape the ice off your car and drive with gloves on because otherwise it would take 15 minutes to heat it up enough to be comfortable. Seat warmers are cherished here.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        45 months ago

        My car takes 15 minutes to warm up enough for the heat to work at all let alone get the interior to a comfortable temperature.