[greenvan]

Based upon usage to date, the range extender will seldom be used. Manual is unclear; should we add a stabilizer such as "Sta-bil" to the tank to keep the gas from forming deposits? Warrantee effect?

Also, if left plugged into house current and not the car, do the chargers draw enough current to be considered a significant drain?

Thanks,

Greenvan

 

[Steverino]

Read the Owner's Manual: No stabilizer should be added.

No.

 

[TSquare]

Based upon usage to date, the range extender will seldom be used. Manual is unclear; should we add a stabilizer such as "Sta-bil" to the tank to keep the gas from forming deposits? Warrantee effect?

Also, if left plugged into house current and not the car, do the chargers draw enough current to be considered a significant drain?

Thanks,

Greenvan

Here is the exact wording from my manual:

If TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is
not available, one bottle of GM Fuel
System Treatment Cleaner added to
the fuel tank at every engine oil
change, can help. GM Fuel System
Treatment Cleaner is the only
gasoline additive recommended by
General Motors. It is available at
your dealer.

Seems pretty clear to me, and leave the car plugged in all the time, charging or not charging. The ONLY time that I unplug without driving, is when a thunderstorm is coming through.

 

[SirSpammenot]

Greenvan, you do know the car tracks fuel age and burns off a portion of the tank every once and a while? Look for Fuel Maintenance Mode (FMM) and the closely linked Engine Maintenance Mode. It makes you add new gas to keep the average fuel age up. I believe it will burn through a whole tank in about a year if you don't use up any gas yourself.

Then the nagging screens really become annoying! Others can probably be more detailed than me about the timing. But you can relax, the car knows what to do!

 

[llninja]

Surprisingly, last I checked Marathon is not top tier, so where I live it's Exxon Mobil and when I head north BP or Shell. So I avoid the no name brands, marathon, and speedways because of the lack of a top tier rating.

Plus if you're rolling in a g1, premium only, in a g2, regular only.

 

[USe-car]

I always used fuel stabilizer in my Gen I and continue to use it in my Gen II.

 

[randl]

Surprisingly, last I checked Marathon is not top tier, so where I live it's Exxon Mobil and when I head north BP or Shell. So I avoid the no name brands, marathon, and speedways because of the lack of a top tier rating.

Plus if you're rolling in a g1, premium only, in a g2, regular only.

At the risk of jumping into an internet kerfuffle, Marathon is top tier according to http://www.toptiergas.com/licensedbrands/. In fact, it's not easy to find a brand, like Speedway, that isn't.

 

[Sean-a-Tron]

The included portable EVSE will draw 2 Watts while idle regardless of being plugged into the Volt.

 

[canehdian]

The included portable EVSE will draw 2 Watts while idle regardless of being plugged into the Volt.

There are many different L1 models that shipped with Volts over the years, depends which one OP has.
But either way, it's very minimal.

The one tested here
https://avt.inl.gov/evse-type/all-evse-types
https://avt.inl.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/evse/EVSEVoltecLvl1.pdf
Appears to be the 2011-2012 version, which had 3.6W draw or <$5/yr in standby costs.

I believe the newer clipper creek versions were lower, possibly the 2W you refer to.

 

[turboguy327]

If you use ethanol free fuel like you're supposed to, no additives or stabilizers needed. Use ethanol free fuel in any vehicle, whenever possible for better MPG and longer shelf life.

 

[turboguy327]

I always used fuel stabilizer in my Gen I and continue to use it in my Gen II.

Why? Just get fuel without ethanol in it and avoid the trouble.

 

[somms]

If you use ethanol free fuel like you're supposed to, no additives or stabilizers needed. Use ethanol free fuel in any vehicle, whenever possible for better MPG and longer shelf life.

Ditto on ethanol-free fuel just being better in the long run due to the lack of any alcohol (ethanol)!

I'm lucky to have an ethanol-free pump close by the house and if you are unsure of stations still selling fuel w/o any alcohol added you can look here: http://www.pure-gas.org/

 

[El Dobro]

Ditto on ethanol-free fuel just being better in the long run due to the lack of any alcohol (ethanol)!

I'm lucky to have an ethanol-free pump close by the house and if you are unsure of stations still selling fuel w/o any alcohol added you can look here: http://www.pure-gas.org/

Shows 4 in NJ, none around me.

 

[hellsop]

Surprisingly, last I checked Marathon is not top tier, so where I live it's Exxon Mobil and when I head north BP or Shell. So I avoid the no name brands, marathon, and speedways because of the lack of a top tier rating..

Marathon is on the list now, Speedway still isn't.

http://www.toptiergas.com/licensedbrands/

 

[alfon]

Ethanol free fuel is expensive and not readily available in many parts of the country. How many actually know that the EPA fuel economy test are performed with 100% gasoline with no added Ethanol? The answer appears to be the test would be more consistent, really, in my opinion it would be more consistent to use the 10% Ethanol blend as a standard the same gasoline where 95% + of U.S. drivers use everyday in their gasoline powered vehicles.

Ethanol added to gasoline does not increase fuel economy, it diminishes it. Ethanol is not free, it cost more to produce than the fuel that goes into it. Only Federal subsidies keeps it alive, were all paying for this one...

 

[hellsop]

Ethanol free fuel is expensive and not readily available in many parts of the country. How many actually know that the EPA fuel economy test are performed with 100% gasoline with no added Ethanol? The answer appears to be the test would be more consistent, really, in my opinion it would be more consistent to use the 10% Ethanol blend as a standard the same gasoline where 95% + of U.S. drivers use everyday in their gasoline powered vehicles.

Ethanol added to gasoline does not increase fuel economy, it diminishes it. Ethanol is not free, it cost more to produce than the fuel that goes into it. Only Federal subsidies keeps it alive, were all paying for this one...

Ethanol is primarily added to fuel to make it FAR easier to meet air quality requirements. With it, the amount of carbon MONOXIDE (not dioxide) and ozone in emissions is substantially higher. There's other things (MBTE) that could be added, but most of them end up getting into groundwater from leaking tanks, while gasoline and ethanol just kind of evaporate then break down on their own much more quickly.

As far as cost, goes, yeah, ethanol's not REALLY cheap compared to gasoline NOW, but it is when the gasoline part is up around $3 per gallon. The biggest chunk of the cost of ethanol as fuel or fuel additive is corn (about $1.50-1.75 per gallon of ethanol is corn, about $0.30-40 is wages and plant costs, and there's about a dime in natural gas costs to distill the stuff.), and in addition to the production gallon of ethanol for about $2, you also get about $0.50 worth of spent distiller's grain (which becomes animal feed) and a small but appreciable amount of corn oil (a nickel's-worth or two of that).

The octane boosting is just a fringe benefit, really.

 

[turboguy327]

It's readily available everywhere I've traveled. All up and down the east coast. I'll go out of my way, within reason to keep that garbage out of my fuel.

My Supra, different story. On high boost setting it gets E85. On my street tune I use E0 91 octane.

Use E0 fuel whenever possible and never think about additives.