Assuming the engine goes into ICE fuel maintenance mode (FMM) say every twelve months and empties the tank if I never drive outside of the EV range.

Then I am thinking that I could replace this with a very small amount in the tank to minimize my gas use between ICE FMM intervals. Say for instance three gallons? Is this a good idea? What would be an ideal amount to keep in the tank, Any thoughts?

I recall that GM suggests not keeping the tank full unless long range driving is planned as a way to maximise EV range (as each gallon of gas weighs 6 pounds). Their recommendation may have been not more than one-half tank.

On the subject of the ICE running in Maintenance Mode, I assume that the engine will run long enough to fully warm up the oil and perhaps 'boil off' accumulated moisture, but not necessarily so long as to use up all the old gas.

There is an "efficiency tips" button on the left side of the "energy" screen (press the "leaf" button, next to the "drive mode" button). I think there is a suggestion to only carry around 1/4 - 1/2 tank if you always drive in EV mode.

GSP

I believe the owner's manual recommends 1/3 tank if most of your driving is CD. I wouldn't recommend siphoning if you never use the engine - just wait. In addition to the maintenance mode that runs 10 minutes to lubricate the seals, there's a longer mode that runs every 6 months to burn about 1/2 tank to keep the fuel fresh. On the other hand, reducing the fuel level from 9 to 6 gallons will save about 36 pounds. Some Volt owners might just want to go on a diet instead (smile!)

Donate the excess gasoline to your neighbor who hasn't bought a Volt yet, and say, "Here, have this leftover gasoline from my Volt. I don't need much of it anymore." That should put the message across!

As I'm one of the unlucky ones who have to burn gas every day on my commute, I fill up to max about every three weeks. I've noticed absolutely no difference in my economy regardless of where the fuel level is. In the grand scheme of things a full tank at 54 lbs. has little or no noticeable impact on a vehicle that weights 3,800 lbs.

Donate the excess gasoline to your neighbor who hasn't bought a Volt yet, and say, "Here, have this leftover gasoline from my Volt. I don't need much of it anymore." That should put the message across!

LMAO ... I like it !!!

As I'm one of the unlucky ones who have to burn gas every day on my commute, I fill up to max about every three weeks. I've noticed absolutely no difference in my economy regardless of where the fuel level is. In the grand scheme of things a full tank at 54 lbs. has little or no noticeable impact on a vehicle that weights 3,800 lbs.

You are absolutely right, there is little point in worrying about a couple pounds here or there as a fraction of the weight it can only be a negligiable impact.

No Volt, they don't sell them here yet... (Western Canada) sat in one at the car show though ;-)

Personally I'd really like a voltec powered CTS-4 Wagon... (AWD) but that's just me maybe.

You will want at least 1.5 gallons as a bare minimum because below that you start to get annoying reminders that you are low on gas.

If I really never needed more than 40 miles of range, I woulda bought a Leaf.

I like just putting in a flat $10 worth whenever I get the low message indicator for a little while ... so just over 2 gallons and just over 1/3 tank or 3 gallons total.

- like the psychological aspect of sticking it to the man
- like keeping the gas fresh by adding more occasion (vs between full fills)
- like the "story" to tell when I give demos and test drives
- mainly drive electric so not that much of an inconvenience / time of going to the station
- while not that much weight for a full tank it is a very common fuel saving tip and allows me to carry other gear as needed

You will want at least 1.5 gallons as a bare minimum because below that you start to get annoying reminders that you are low on gas.

If I really never needed more than 40 miles of range, I woulda bought a Leaf.

Thanks for the info. I prefer the Volt b/c it's made here and I may have occasion to drive over 90 miles one way to Eugene OR from time to time and I want to avoid range anxiety as much as I suffer from gas anxiety!

@ beechnut,

Bob_Livonia is correct. In the manual (1-23),it is recommended that if fuel is not regularly used, consider keeping the fuel tank only one‐third full. Excess fuel weight impacts efficiency and range.

#8 MuddyRoverRob,

Nice to see your name here guy. Don't be a stranger.

I believe the owner's manual recommends 1/3 tank if most of your driving is CD. I wouldn't recommend siphoning if you never use the engine - just wait. In addition to the maintenance mode that runs 10 minutes to lubricate the seals, there's a longer mode that runs every 6 months to burn about 1/2 tank to keep the fuel fresh. On the other hand, reducing the fuel level from 9 to 6 gallons will save about 36 pounds. Some Volt owners might just want to go on a diet instead (smile!)

Hi Bob,
My Volt asked to do a maintance run the other day and I thought it was to be 10 min but it was only 1 min. It has never done the gas reduction run yet and I have had it for over 7 months. I have about 3300 miles on it now and have used 2.3 gal of gas and about half of that was used by the dealer in the delivery inspection. Ill see if it tries to burn the gas by years end and than will keep about 3 gal in the tank I think.

Roy
#272

Last year I predicted that a tank of gas would last me over a year. I picked up my fully tanked Volt early January, as of the end of July I still had half a tank - on my way to one tank a year. Then I had to drive from central Long Island to New Jersey - a 200+ mile round trip! Oh well, I put gas in the car for the first time before I left ($20 worth!). When I returned, I was back to half a tank. So, I have used more than a tank this year - can't win 'em all!

BTW: I used $20 worth of gas and less than $2 of electricity and got reimbursed by my job over $100 ($0.51/mile). I can live with that.

@ hamchief,

7+ months without buying gas is amazing. If it weren't for that trip you definitely would have made it the whole year. Give it another try, I am sure you will be able to do it!

Anybody in northern climates should also keep a good amount of fuel in the tank in winter because the ICE will turn on for heat rather often in winter (26F isn't very cold at all, and we've gone weeks at a time when the temperature would never exceed that, day or night). I don't know how much gas would be used, but I expect to get the "engine running due to temperature" every day for at least 3-4 months of the year.

would you run into issues with summer and winter blends of gas?

would you run into issues with summer and winter blends of gas?

I've heard of winter blend diesel but not winter blend gas!

We definitely have winter gas in Canada. It contains anti-freeze additives. I don't see that being a big deal in summer though.

Thanks Noel It seem's my current job will never let up!
There isn't much time for 'recreation!'

They are now shipping Volt's to Canada so you never know...
I still would REALLY rather have AWD though!