Patent ID: 8251022

Claim:
A system for storage and delivery of a fuel additive on-board a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle having a purely electric mode of operation and a hybrid mode of operation and having a fuel tank configured to store a fuel, said system comprising: a reservoir configured to store the fuel additive; a pump that is operable to deliver the fuel additive to said fuel tank of said plug-in hybrid electric vehicle; a first conduit in fluid communication with said reservoir and said pump; a second conduit in fluid communication with said pump and said fuel tank of said plug-in hybrid electric vehicle; a controller that actuates said pump to deliver the fuel additive from said reservoir to said fuel tank of said plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, wherein said controller provides a signal after said plug-in hybrid electric vehicle has not operated in said hybrid mode during an elapsed time interval of eleven months; an electric motor; a battery configured to be charged via said electric motor and/or a power source external to said plug-in hybrid electric vehicle; and an internal combustion engine configured to consume the fuel stored in said fuel tank of said plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and provide kinetic energy to said electric motor for charging of said battery during said hybrid mode of operation; wherein said electric motor and said battery cooperate to provide a driving force to said plug-in hybrid electric vehicle during said purely electric mode of operation; and wherein said internal combustion engine charges said battery during said hybrid mode of operation.