I saw in the Prius forum and also in the Toyota sites that the Prius boasts an insulated coolant tank to store hot coolant for the next start-up to use so that that it can get to operating temperature faster.

Does the Camry employ the same feature? I have searched several places and not found it for the Camery. Just wondered. Not a deal breaker.

 

Jack:

My understanding is that the TCH does not have one.
Sorry!

 

No it doesn't. That's one of the few Prius quirks (that and the fuel bladder).

 

Thanks I didn't know about the fuel bladder being exclusive to the Prius either. Interesting.

 

None of the other Toyota (or Lexus) products have the "thermos" or the bladder either.

They were able to achieve their emissions targets without them.

In the case of the bladder I'm VERY glad we don't have it. Most Prius owners hate it!

 

We all want to squeeze every drop from a tank...but when the car says (well, blinks and flashes a message) to get gas, you...get gas. Bladder or no bladder, when you need gas, you need gas. I'm not sure what's so hard about that. I, for one, wish all cars had an emission control device such as the tank bladder. We'd all breathe a bit easier. YMMV.

 

Yeah but Toyota has managed to get AT-PZEV rating for the TCH WITHOUT the use of the bladder. Isn't that a good thing? No more guessing?

 

I "guess" so. doing more with less, moving forward. Okay, i like that.

 

The TCH (and Highlander) pressurize their fuel tanks. By keeping the tank pressure above the vapor pressure of gasoline, the gas doesn't evaporate!

So you get the same "zero" evaporative emissions without the uncertainty of fuel level, no changes in tank capacity in winter, and no "burps" of gas spilling out of the tank.

Expect the next gen Prius to be bladder free too.

 

It's been a while, but I... don't think that's how vapor pressure works? Pressures of gases just add together to make a total "air pressure"--each gas has its own "partial pressure", which is completely independent of all other gases it's mixed with. The vapor pressure of gasoline is just the pressure of the gasoline vapor itself when the gasoline liquid and gas reach equilibrium (vapor condensing and liquid evaporating at the same rate). So increasing air pressure shouldn't actually change the amount of gasoline that evaporates from the liquid fuel--only volume and temperature will affect that. When the temp goes up, the vapor pressure goes up. And with more volume, there's more vapor at the same temperature.

The first patent result I got for searching on vapor pressure and gas tank was basically adding an air-pressurized bladder in the tank above the liquid gasoline, which inflates with air as the pressure drops (less liquid gasoline, more volume for gasoline vapor), thereby taking up more volume to reduce the amount of gasoline vapor in the tank.

Admittedly I don't know quite what the TCH is doing, but far as I know this is how vapor pressure works.