[medcrest]

Growing up in North Dakota, we had soft plug heaters (block heaters) on every vehicle.  On big V-8s, there were frequently two, one on each bank.  Move to Fairbanks and they have oil pan heaters and battery heaters, not to mention small dashboard electric heaters.  In ND, we plugged in when we got home and left them on all night when temps were below freezing.  If you didn't go out for a couple of days (too cold), they just stayed on.  Apartment houses and many hotels provided outlets for the heaters.  Moving south with the army, we were asked if we had an electric car because of the cords coming through the grille.