Plug-In Hybrid Potential Issue

[BIC]

Thinking about a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). They have all-electric range of maybe 30-40-50 miles. That would cover most of my local driving in a typical day and can charge with some residential solar panel overproduction in the spring & fall that would otherwise go down the drain.

If most of the driving is done with electricity, seems might cause other problems with gas infrastructure, such as gas going bad in tank (notwithstanding Stabil) or drying out seals in gas motor, etc.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

 

[JavierH19]

If i had a phev that did most of what i needed i'd only keep a third of the tank and I'd probably run the engine once a week just for a few minutes as some things develop issues from not being used. I would also use fuel stabilizer as it doesnt hurt anything. Some argue aged gas wont hurt since the lines and tank are resistant to corrosion unlike a steel tank and carb but varnish can be an issue.

In my 05 Yukon I've had zero fuel system related issues after 328k. Yes zero. Not even the fuel pump has been replaced. All 8 bosch injectors never failed and I've never once used an injector cleaner and she runs smooth. But i run that baby all the time and a full 31 gallon tank lasts a week and a half on average. So its always got fresh fuel.

If i had a phev with that kind of range it would realistically take me about 1.5 months to drain its tank. Doing that all the time will cause issues with varnish.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Thinking about a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). They have all-electric range of maybe 30-40-50 miles. That would cover most of my local driving in a typical day and can charge with some residential solar panel overproduction in the spring & fall that would otherwise go down the drain.

If most of the driving is done with electricity, seems might cause other problems with gas infrastructure, such as gas going bad in tank (notwithstanding Stabil) or drying out seals in gas motor, etc.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

I don't think it's an issue. Gas takes a couple of months to go bad.

 

[UG_Passat]

Thinking about a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). They have all-electric range of maybe 30-40-50 miles. That would cover most of my local driving in a typical day and can charge with some residential solar panel overproduction in the spring & fall that would otherwise go down the drain.

If most of the driving is done with electricity, seems might cause other problems with gas infrastructure, such as gas going bad in tank (notwithstanding Stabil) or drying out seals in gas motor, etc.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

Just drive in hybrid mode once or twice a week.

 

[thastinger]

Thinking about a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). They have all-electric range of maybe 30-40-50 miles. That would cover most of my local driving in a typical day and can charge with some residential solar panel overproduction in the spring & fall that would otherwise go down the drain.

If most of the driving is done with electricity, seems might cause other problems with gas infrastructure, such as gas going bad in tank (notwithstanding Stabil) or drying out seals in gas motor, etc.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

Do you have access to E0 fuel where you are? If you could find that, a tank would last you all year potentially.

 

[atikovi]

I don't think it's an issue. Gas takes a couple of months years to go bad.

Fixed that for ya.

Plug-in hybrids automatically run the gas engine when the gas gets old, to prevent problems.

 

[TumblrDucks]

Before worrying about gas, take a look at the oil. On youtube I watched a Hyundai mechanic pull the dip stick of an Ioniq phev and its full of milkshake. Not because of coolant but because of all the condensation when engine is used rarely & repeatedly shut down before reaching operation temp. And owners tend to extend oci since "ICE is not used often".

 

[Jimmy_Russells]

And owners tend to extend oci since "ICE is not used often".

That sounds like an owner problem

 

[PimTac]

Plug-in hybrids automatically run the gas engine when the gas gets old, to prevent problems.

How does that work? Sensors?

 

[brianl703]

How does that work? Sensors?

They know how much gas has been burned and when and they know how much gas in put in the tank and when.

No sensors needed, other than the usual level/gauge sender, just some programming.

 

[demarpaint]

I don't think it's an issue. Gas takes a couple of months to go bad.

I agree, in fact it would take about 3-4 months before I worried about the gas.

 

[atikovi]

How does that work? Sensors?

Engine Management Mode (EMM); the Volt will start, run the gas engine for ~15 minutes every 6 weeks if you have not otherwise used the gas engine. This lubricates critical engine parts and seals and circulates fluids.

Fuel Management Mode (FMM); the Volt will start, run the gas engine if the average age of the fuel in the fuel tank is more than 12 months old. FMM will continue to use up the old gas until all of the old gas has been burned. To suspend FMM without using up all of the old gas you need to add some fresh gas. If you add a quantity of fresh gas to the old gas in the fuel tank then FMM will be suspended for a proportional period of time. Example: If there are 2 gallons of old fuel (more than 12 months old) in the fuel tank and you add at least 2 gallons of fresh fuel the average age of the fuel in the fuel tank will be no more than 6 months old; FMM will suspend for at least 6 months but not longer than 12 months.

https://www.gm-volt.com/threads/2017-engine-running-in-normal-mode-with-full-charge.334489/

 

[71Chevyguy]

I believe the Chevy Volt, at least the first gen one specified premium fuel so that octane doesn't go down too low if the fuel gets old and nasty. But they did run the engine if it estimated the fuel was getting old. The ideal situation is to find a place that sells non ethanol fuel. You shouldn't have any issues with that sitting the there for quite a while.

But either way you should plan to use the engine regularly to keep the fuel moving. Not good for the engine to sit there not being used for long periods of time. If I had one I would probably make sure to run out of battery regularly so the engine at least starts and gets nice and hot. Just like it is important to slam on the brakes real hard regularly to keep the rotors from rotting off of the vehicle from lack of use.

 

[PimTac]

Engine Management Mode (EMM); the Volt will start, run the gas engine for ~15 minutes every 6 weeks if you have not otherwise used the gas engine. This lubricates critical engine parts and seals and circulates fluids.

Fuel Management Mode (FMM); the Volt will start, run the gas engine if the average age of the fuel in the fuel tank is more than 12 months old. FMM will continue to use up the old gas until all of the old gas has been burned. To suspend FMM without using up all of the old gas you need to add some fresh gas. If you add a quantity of fresh gas to the old gas in the fuel tank then FMM will be suspended for a proportional period of time. Example: If there are 2 gallons of old fuel (more than 12 months old) in the fuel tank and you add at least 2 gallons of fresh fuel the average age of the fuel in the fuel tank will be no more than 6 months old; FMM will suspend for at least 6 months but not longer than 12 months.

https://www.gm-volt.com/threads/2017-engine-running-in-normal-mode-with-full-charge.334489/

I wasn’t aware of this. Thanks for sharing.

 

[gathermewool]

Maybe do a deep dive on why you want to buy a PHEV instead of an EV. If you’re not driving enough to burn off a tank of gas over 1/3 of a year, then you may not actually need an ICE.

 

[brianl703]

I believe the Chevy Volt, at least the first gen one specified premium fuel so that octane doesn't go down too low if the fuel gets old and nasty.

It specified premium fuel because when it came out, premium cost 20 cents more per gallon than regular and the additional 2MPG premium fuel got was worth the extra cost.

 

[eljefino]

Most PHEVs also claim that their EVAP systems are so good the gas goes bad more slowly.

My Silverado, with a gross EVAP leak gets two fill ups a year and does fine on that gas. It mostly drives 5 miles round trip to the dump and back.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I agree, in fact it would take about 3-4 months before I worried about the gas.

The recommendation - I think it was from the SAE but it might have been some refiner association, is 90 days for E10 and 180 days for pure gas - however that is from date it was refined, so you should subtract likely a minimum 30 days, maybe more if its a slow cycling station, especially the pure gas. Here in the summer it cycles often as the main customer is boats, but in the winter I bet it doesn't cycle as much - although you can technically boat here all year, few do.

 

[demarpaint]

The recommendation - I think it was from the SAE but it might have been some refiner association, is 90 days for E10 and 180 days for pure gas - however that is from date it was refined, so you should subtract likely a minimum 30 days, maybe more if its a slow cycling station, especially the pure gas. Here in the summer it cycles often as the main customer is boats, but in the winter I bet it doesn't cycle as much - although you can technically boat here all year, few do.

On Long Island I think gas cycles pretty fast. I have an old Ford van with two gas tanks. Over the years when I was running two vans for the business I had gas in the front tank, the smaller tank of the two, for 4-5 months w/o issue. I'm reasonably sure the OP could go 3-4 months w/o a problem. Having said that It would be easy enough for him to gas up when the tank goes from full - 3/4 that will keep the mix a bit fresher if he's really concerned. If there are still any concerns then treat it with Stabil each time it's topped up.

 

[brianl703]

The recommendation - I think it was from the SAE but it might have been some refiner association, is 90 days for E10 and 180 days for pure gas - however that is from date it was refined, so you should subtract likely a minimum 30 days, maybe more if its a slow cycling station, especially the pure gas. Here in the summer it cycles often as the main customer is boats, but in the winter I bet it doesn't cycle as much - although you can technically boat here all year, few do.

Exxon says the following. Note that they do not differentiate between E0 and E10 in their answer:

Does gasoline have an expiration date and how long can it be stored?
In general, gasoline should be used within a month of purchase. When the engine will not be used for an extended period of time, it’s best to drain the fuel tank and then run the engine until it stalls. If you choose to store gasoline and follow proper storage guidelines, the gasoline can be expected to remain of good quality for at least six months.

https://www.exxon.com/en/gasoline-safety-storage