Hi, we're here from curiosity.com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes.

I'm Cody Gough.

And I'm Ashley Hamer.

Today you learn about why you don't need to warm up your car even when it's freezing.

Fossils proving that Antarctica used to be covered in forests, and why buying

less is better than buying green.

Let's satisfy some curiosity.

All right, true or false.

When the temperature is below freezing and you get in your car, you should let it idle

for at least five minutes before driving.

I mean, I always thought that was true.

Well, it's not. If you said false, you're right. You don't need to warm up your car regardless of the weather.

At least assuming your car was made in the last 25 years or so.

So get ready for some science that'll save you time and gas money.

Back in the 1980s and early 1990s,

you did need to run your engine before you drove.

That was to warm it up and prevent it from stalling.

At that time, cars relied on carburetors.

Carborators mix the right amount of gasoline and air

for the engine to run properly, and yes,

it needs to warm up to do that.

But carburetors became obsolete once electronic fuel injection systems were introduced.

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