Engine Start

that limit is about 129 miles if I recall correctly but you're wrong about it resetting the mileage back to zero.

 

About 206 Kilometers, and yes, it is an odd number.

 

And semi-prime, too.

 

124 miles I think,
when ice runs you then have another 124 miles.

Edit,
From the manual

When continually using EV mode only
After driving for approximately 124 miles (200 km) with the gasoline engine
off, the gasoline engine may start for a short amount of time in order to protect
the system.

 

yes, 124. no idea why so odd, amount of gas consumed? and yes, the counter restarts after the previous engine start. wouldn't it be great to be able to see it, instead of when you're pushing hard ev and surprise!

 

200 km = 124.274 miles. I suspect the real number is 200km, which makes more sense (being a nice round number n' all)

 

bingo!

 

Any idea why they base it on distance and not on time passed by?
For someone who does not drive much for a few months, wouldn't it be reasonable not to wait for this distance, but just start the engine once or twice a month?

 

yes, that could be a real problem. but it would have to be 5 or 6 months before it would start clogging, i think. i think the manual recommends using a half tank every 6 months or something? or adding fuel stabilizer.

 

If we had straight petrol instead of E10, the fuel would be stable for much longer periods of time. The car would be able to sit for over a year with the same fuel in the tank.

Before E10 was the standard, I had cars that had sat for over 3 years and started and ran just fine on the old gas.

The problem is that Ethanol absorbs the water and humidity in the air, and at a certain concentration of water, the engine no longer burns the fuel properly.

 

But the lobbyists from the MidWest agricultural interests have made sure that use of their client's products to make the ethanol that goes into E10 is mandated. No other means to meet emissions objectives are relevant. And the fact that making ethanol from corn is inefficient from an energy perspective, and generates lots of emissions in and of itself, is irrelevant.

 

The Chevrolet Volt runs the engine every 6 weeks for engine maintenance and requires that the tank of fuel be kept no longer than a year.
In order to accomplish this however the fuel tank is maintained at a positive pressure and they require that premium fuel be used.

 

I don't think the car has a permanent clock. It's got the dash clock, but that's convenience only, resettable.

 

I would assume at least one of the dozens of computers in the car has a clock.

 

I'm with Mendel on this. Most cars don't have a permanent clock because they have no need of one to operate. The clock we see is for our benefit, and isn't used as a necessary component for running the vehicle.

Since the clock isn't necessary, it depends on a reliable 12v source of power to maintain accurate time. It's also susceptible to being programmed incorrectly by the owner, so you wouldn't want to have the operation of the vehicle rely on a setting that is easily tampered with by the operator.

Mileage makes perfect sense. The car tracks it regardless of how reliable the 12v power source is, and it isn't easily tampered with by the owner.

 

If we need gas rarely for our use, should we fill up with premium gas for its maybe better longevity in the tank?

 

i would add stabilizer to the tank, such as stabile.

 

I suppose if you're in a state where premium fuels contain zero ethanol it would keep better. However, E10 should be fine for over a year in the fuel tank of the Prius.

In Oregon and Washington, Premium fuel still contains 10% ethanol. There are very few locations that carry ethanol-free fuel.