I was under the impression that you had to use fuel stabilizer for gasoline that sits still for a long time. (Like in your shed.) This was due to the gasoline separating in it's storage container. But in the tank of a PHV, it would be continually sloshing around and mixing. Would you still need to use stabilizer?
in a lawn mower, etc. over a period of months, the fuel in the very small parts of the carbeurator can gum up, clogging the fuel delivery to the engine. you should consult toyota if you are leaving your pri unused for more than a few months.
I think I understand your question as asking, "If you're constiantly driving in EV mode and not burning any gas, will you need to add a fuel stabilizer like Stabil or will the fuel sloshing around take care of that problem?" IIRC, Stabil also keeps the most volatile components of the fuel from escaping to the atmosphere. Sloshing would not necessarily prevent that from happening. So, if I only went through 1 tank a year (verrry unlikely), then I'd probably add Stabil. I've used Stabil a lot. We've had many motorcycles, most of which had fuel injection (I only mention FI because the tiny holes in the injectors seem to be the first to gum up.) As the motorcycles sat unused for 6 - 7 months at a time, we always used Stabil in them. We had no problems at all, while many of our friends who didn't add Stabil had gummed-up carbs or injectors.
I've gone 3+ months on one tank of gas with no real ill effects. I've heard horror stories here on Priuschat from people who added fuel stabilizer and it wrecked things...I don't think you need to worry about fuel going bad. Andrew
The PHV still uses gasoline... your engine will turn on every time you start the car for the first time to complete its warm-up cycle. It's not like you'll run on all EV and not use a single drop of gasoline. You'll use a few drops lol
Is it confirmed that the ICE starts every time you turn the car on in the PHV? I thought that the PHV didn't do the warmup cycle until you were almost out of battery...Can anyone comment about this? Andrew
thats correct i think the engine starts running when you're almost out of battery to be ready for when you actually run out of battery.
I wouldn't add fuel stabilizer unless the fuel was going to go unused for 6 months or more. And I totally agree that you needn't worry about the fuel going bad if you drive the car regularly. As for stories "from people who added fuel stabilizer and it wrecked things," you have to ask (a) whether they used the stabilizer at the beginning of the storage period or after 6 months when the fuel had already turned, (b) if they used the stabilizer correctly, and (c) if the stabilizer was, in fact, the cause of the problem (or was it just coincidental). I've learned not to put much faith in stories I read on the Internet.
The engine will not start until you're at 1.6 miles remaining, you step on the gas hard enough to require ICE power, or after 19 miles of EV only driving, whichever comes first.
