AUTOMOTIVE HDDO
“Fuel economy or false economy?”
Alan Henderson, Senior Marketing Specialist for Heavy Duty Engine Oils, and Dominic Myers, R&D Scientist
for Heavy Duty Engine Oils, Afton Chemical
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are increasingly looking at low HTHS (high temperature, high shear) heavy duty engine oils to help their latest commercial vehicle engine technology meet the fuel economy demands of EU emissions legislation. A pragmatic heavy duty engine oil formulation style is key to create resilient fluids, that deliver lasting benefits and at a cost that makes sense for the end user.
New EU legislation mandates a much faster reduction in CO2
emissions than has been achieved in recent
years. From 2025, non-compliance with target CO2 emissions – which entails a 15% reduction from the
2019 baseline – will incur stiff financial penalties for every vehicle sold. Maintaining emissions at 2019 levels would result in a cost of around 40,000 Euros per vehicle sold. The new vehicle energy consumption calculation tool (VECTO) will be real-world validated with in-service conformity testing, so the pressure is now on OEMs to meet this target and ensure it continues to be met throughout each vehicle’s lifetime.
By 2030, emissions targets will become more challenging – a 30% reduction versus 2019 baseline. OEMs will require some proportion of their sales to utilise new technology – such as battery and/or fuel cell electrification or hybridisation – in order to meet the emissions target. The European Commission is also currently proposing going further – to as far as 45% reduction by 2030. Until then, in tandem
8 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.177 OCTOBER 2023
with advances in vehicle aerodynamics, combustion efficiency and renewable fuels, heavy duty engine oils and additives have a significant role to play in helping OEMs improve fuel economy through powertrain efficiency.
Numerous heavy duty engine oil levers have been looked at, but which ones actually deliver? Viscosity is frequently quoted as a lever, but there is more than one type of viscosity. Kinematic viscosity is more relevant for those seconds or minutes from a cold start until an engine reaches its operating temperature and has less relevance to the overall operating efficiency of a commercial vehicle. It is more useful as an indicator of low temperature wear protection because oil must be able to flow around the engine on start-up, especially during cold weather, to minimise the contact between moving surfaces.
Dynamic viscosity, on the other hand, is independent of fluid density and has a significant influence on overall fuel economy. One dynamic viscosity measure
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