TornadoRed
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2003
- Location
- West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
- TDI
- 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (PARTED); 2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue (SOLD); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (SOLD)
Colder fuel is more dense. At most stations, the fuel does not sit in underground tanks for many days, but is replaced frequently. So in the summer, if the fuel is warm when it is delivered, it stays warm. And in the winter, in the colder climates, it may be below 32°F when delivered and remain that cold until it's pumped into your car or truck.The whole thing about different amounts of fuel in summer and winter sounds like a bunch of hooey to me. Most tanks are underground, which maintains a pretty constant temperature. That's the basis for geothermal heat pumps after all. So, unless you buy from a place with above ground pumps, I doubt it makes much difference. If the temp underground is 50F then I doubt it expands much in the few seconds it takes to travel to the nozzle. Just another story to rile people up over nothing, IMO.
At the terminals, all the tanks are above-ground.
Here is some recent news:
4/20/2012
Three More Companies Settle in 'Hot Fuel' Suits
Three companies, Walmart (and its Sam's Club subsidiary), Valero Energy Corp. and Casey's General Stores have joined the ranks of businesses settling "hot fuel" lawsuits, reports the Kansas City Star.
Hot fuel is the term used for the expansion of fuel in warmer temperatures. Because of this, consumers at the pump get less energy per gallon while paying the same price.
Lawsuits in recent years have charged oil companies and fuel providers with failing to adjust prices for temperature changes (although oil companies argue that in the colder months, consumers get more energy per gallon).
These three newest settlements must still be approved by the court's chief judge, Kathryn Vratil, but if she does approve, they will apply to dozens of hot-fuel lawsuits filed around the U.S.
Two weeks ago, BP Products North America Inc., ConocoPhillips Co. and Shell Oil Products US agreed to settle. The details of those settlements are not yet available, but they will likely stipulate that the companies facilitate the adoption of a hot-fuel fix, the Star reported. This would automatically adjust prices for temperature at fueling stations.
Costco Wholesale Corp. settled 2009, agreeing to change pumps in the hottest regions of the country.
When it first started reporting on the issue, The Kansas City Star estimated that hot fuel costs consumers $2.3 billion a year, now $3.5 billion at current fuel prices.