Stale Gas

A few days ago, my Volt popped up a message when I turned it on... I thought it was just the usual monthly message saying that it needed to run the gas engine a bit to keep it maintained. I pressed the Yes button without giving it much thought. But then a second message appeared and I realized whatever the first message had said, it wasn't what I thought and I should have paid closer attention. Anyway, the second message told me that I had not been using much gas and that the fuel in my tank was getting stale. It said my car would now run on gas and when the tank got to under one-half full, I should fill it and the the car would return to normal operation.

So I went for a little drive yesterday and since the goal was to burn some stale fuel, I put it in Sport mode and Low, and headed up some hills, driving a bit more aggressively than I usually do. I had already used nearly half a tank when I started so pretty soon I had one bar under the halfway mark and figured that was good enough. I went to the Shell station on Hollywood Way that I like.

It only took 4.455 gallons at $3.979 per, for a total of $17.73. Not bad. A man pulled in and was fueling his Toyota Tacoma truck and asked me about her. He liked the car's looks and asked how often I fill up. I told him and mentioned the only reason I was filling today was due to the stale gas message. He smiled and said now I was just showing off. I chuckled and said I was just a bit. But assured him that really was the case.

Fun stuff.

EV Progress

Check out the article in Green Car Reports on the new Spark EV.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1080487_2014-chevy-spark-ev-prototype-electric-car-first-drive

And then there is Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 2013: Tesla!

http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/1301_2013_motor_trend_car_of_the_year_tesla_model_s/?ti=v2

Slowly but surely, EVs are making progress into the market.

November OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics report

Not driving as many miles as I used to, since I telecommute some days now.

Rise In Interest?

The last few days I have seen more Volts on the road... yesterday I saw three at various locations... and at a stop light, one guy driving a Versa wanted to know what the average mileage was. I told him I didn't know but had only filled the tank once in a year and a half and he was thrilled. He said he wants one badly. Then this morning a lady walking her kids asked me if I loved my car and of course, I told her I did. She said she was so jealous and wanted one badly! Seems like interest and enthusiasm is really picking up.

Are EVs Better In Emergencies?

Got this from Green Car Reports:

Friend of GreenCarReports, BMW ActiveE owner Tom Moloughney, is one of those still able to travel to work in New Jersey every day.

In fact, it's almost business as usual for him, reportsThe New York Times.

Between charging at home--using a natural gas generator since the power went out--and charging at his restaurant, Moloughney hasn't experienced any problems on his 100-mile round trip each day.

And Moloughney isn't the only electric car driver avoiding the chaos--those using the three free chargers at his restaurant are likely getting by okay too.

October Plug-In Sales Stay Strong

According to Green Car Reports, Chevy sold 2,961 Volts in October, the highest-ever single-month sales total. Sweet!

They say that overall, sales reports for October have put plug-in sales on a strong track to reach 35,000 to 40,000 sales for the year. That's more than double the roughly 17,500 sold last year.

Slow and steady. As more people realize the benefits, the sales add up.