VW Is Putting Buttons Back in Cars Because People Complained Enough

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VW Is Putting Buttons Back in Cars Because People Complained Enough
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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...

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.

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.