I personally find the idea that someones fuel usage can be so low that the fuel has become "stale"- wonderful. Good Job!
I know 2-stroke fuel (gasoline/oil mix) can go stale (so you simply add a stabilizer) but just gas??? Well, I suppose in the winter any water vapour in the fuel might cause problems with the fuel-injection, but there are additives which can deal with that. …I always fill up at around ¼ tank, it seems to be common sense to me! - Wil Edit: What surprises me is there is a special screen with that warning, someone has spent the time and effort putting together software and testing it, and packaging it etc. etc. I wonder if they have one for advising you that the car seems to be getting dirty, and perhaps it might be time to take it through a car-wash. Would you like to start your Cleansing Sequence Now? There's a Sonny's 2 blocks from here, would you like me to take you there right now?
I'm kind of surprised mrbigh is burning any fuel at all. He is always remembered as one of the true pioneers back in "the old days." I'm somewhat surprised he hasn't modified the back seat for 10 kwh or so of additional batteries!! It's also interesting for me to see his choice of a Ford Fusion Energi, as I too am thinking along similar lines. I have owned a regular Prius, a Prius with the Hymotion kit installed, and also a 2011 Nissan LEAF. With the battery degradation issues inherent in any system, I've started thinkinng a 20 to 30 mile range all electric might be the best situation long-term. Instead of replacing 25kwh or 30kwh or now maybe even 60kwh at some point in time, you'd replace 10kwh and maintain an efficient but much smaller gasoline engine. I love that there is no maintenance / oil changes / exhaust system with the LEAF, but the thought of replacing a 24kwh battery every so often is starting to become part of the equation. I spend most of the time over at the LEAF group, and just by chance stopped at PriusChat to figure out how to fix my mom's window on her Prius. Great to see mrbigh is stil going along!!
I really have no clue but can you simply run the ice for a while to run some fuel through the veh? Or is that restricted some how?
I guess the delay option is a chance for the driver to use up their charge, and then not plug it in at the end of the day. Not just water, the air at the top of the tank has enough oxygen to degrade the fuel over time. Gas sitting in can will lose about one octane a month. The ECM can compensate for this, but only so far. The extra insurance of the higher octane of premium is part of the why GM required it in the first Volt. It will last longer in a sealed car fuel system, but gums and varnishes can still form, and cause problems if they build up.
......and I had only 1/3 of a tank. I do never fill more to a half tank full at the time for my daily commute
They went further than that. They pressurize the fuel tank to keep excess air to a minimum since oxygen is the main culprit. This allows the tank to last as long as a year whereas Stabil is only good for a few months. Even though I've near had a FMM notice, I add gas treatment to my Energi because my tanks last nearly that long and I like things to "go to eleven". Yes, that is what the FMM will automatically do; run the ICE for a prescribed time. A similar notice can occur for oil health too. If your drive is too short, it will continue the burn on the next drive. The 24hr window can allow you to plan accordingly. For instances, if I ran into this notice, I would delay it and let my wife drive it on her out of town commute the next day.
I mean, even if adding a "additive" could reverse or delay the "staleness" of the fuel, I'd think for the vast majority of people the simplest, easiest answer would be just to use a little up and refill. Hey, we're still living in a fossil fuel burning era, I think you can be a little too obsessive about not burning the Dino-Sweat. I personally think if your fuel usage is SO LOW that software is popping up reminding you it is in your best interest to burn some of it off? Well...I'm not going to stretch too hard trying to figure out how to keep the old fuel in the tank.
Well, in my sailing days, it was normal to add a bottle of Vodka to each of the fresh-water tanks to keep the nasties at bay - and I'm wondering if a similar recipe might help prevent the gas from becoming stale!
Is this from 6 months of nonuse ? Do you know how long you had your fuel in the tank before this message came on? iPhone ?