I have recently discovered, with the help of the local newspaper, that BP Service Stations (not all) are carring an additive to their gasoline called "Invigorate". It is a non ethanol additive. I was under the impression that 10% ethanol was required by federal law back last May 2007. Evidently it is a state requirement, not federal, because Florida has some BP station carring this additive. I have searched on BP's web site for what the additive consists of, but found no information listed. The owners of the BP service station that I have purchased gas from, swear there is not any ethanol present in their gas (no stickers on pump). My mileage (one tank) seems to bear this out. Have anyone else noticed this change, in BP stations, in other states?
im not an expert about this at all, and i could be totally wrong... their is no federal law that requires specifically ethanol.. it only requires an oxygenate, and after stations stopped using mtbe, they switched to ethanol.
Petro Canada I've discovered adds Ethanol at the pump - as get this - engine cleaner. There's a tiny sticker on the pump that says there is as much as 10% ethanol. I was wondering why I was having such a low MPG rating since I've moved. From home, the nearest station is a Petro Canada. I've switched to Shell, Esso or Ultramar. I now get over 10% more kilometers. Like a jump from 510-525 kilometers for 30l of gas, to now over 600 kilometers. ! ! ! ! !
Ethanol is an engine cleaner. I hope you're not driving 10% farther to get a 10% improvement in fuel economy... Invigorate claims to be an engine cleaner additive package: bpinvigorate.com | About Invigorate and so like all of them is to some extent a marketing gimmick.
I am most concerned with the long term problems that may arise from using fuel with ethanol. I've heard (can honestly say I haven't read owners manual cover to cover) that premium fuel should not be used. There are a few gas stations by me that sell premium gas "without" ethanol. It's mainly for boats, but I run it in my Harley. What about running it in a prius?
It wont hurt, but if it costs more than about 4 percent more then you're not likely to gain anything. I use Ethanol-free petrol here because it only costs about 2% more. I only get a few percent better mileage, so if it cost too much more (say 5%) I wouldn't even bother.
Similar thread going http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-fuel-economy/94348-real-gasoline-not-ethanol-4.html Canada has different gas regs than the US. From my post #21 on the other thread. Chevron Motor Gasolines Technical Review. Well written for the non engineer. Chapter 1 contents: 1 • Gasoline and Driving Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Volatility Vapor Pressure Distillation Profile Vapor-Liquid Ratio Vapor Lock Index Driveability Index Volatility Specifications Antiknock Performance Octane Number Requirement Power Fuel Economy Factors Affecting Fuel Economy Fuel Economy Road Test Other Performance Factors http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/fuels/documents/69083_MotorGas_Tech%20Review.pdf Top Tier Gasoline "TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is the premier standard for gasoline performance. Six of the world's top automakers, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen and Audi recognize that the current EPA minimum detergent requirements do not go far enough to ensure optimal engine performance."
Gasoline with up to 10% ethanol is not harmful to the Prius. Horror stories about ethanol come from using it in engines not designed for ethanol. For newer cars this is not an issue. Tom
That's extremely hard to believe at this point, especially since the entire state of Minnesota has been using nothing but E10 for well over a decade now. If there was a problem, why haven't my friends driving Classic model Prius had any trouble? For that matter, why haven't I? After all, I drove 118,185 miles in my Iconic model before trading up to the 2010. And be aware that your concern is also your very first post on this forum. That immediately raises suspicion... .
