Lubricating the Path to Fuel Economy


concern for the global automotive industry as consumers become more savvy and legislative targets are more widely imposed. Moves towards a new global harmonised driving cycle (World Light Test Procedure) will also create a new emissions landscape. Changes to the test procedure which determines the official fuel consumption and CO2


Reducing CO2 emissions data


for every model of car could be adopted as European Union legislation as early as 2015 and could be applied to new type approvals by 2016/17.


The change in drive cycle will mean some manufacturers improve their performance in CO2


emissions while others will be much


worse off. Many parts of the industry will be therefore braced for potentially heavy fines and strongly oppose any change to the current method.


In this climate, manufacturers are feeling the pressure to meet targets and avoid fiscal penalties. There is also a strong customer desire for cars that are more efficient, both in terms of the impact on the environment – and their wallets.


As such, manufacturers are under pressure to innovate quickly. Mechanical and hardware developments are of course ongoing but these are complex, expensive and take many years to roll out.


Improving fuel efficiency Lubricants have a vital role to play in reducing CO2


by reducing engine friction


and improving fuel economy. Simply switching to a lower viscosity lubricant, can often be a relatively low-effort and cost-effective option for manufacturers wanting to improve fuel efficiency.


At Castrol, with our Professional range, we are working closely with our partners to help engineer lubricants that are fit for the future and meet these needs. As part of this work, we have been able to quantify the role of lubricants in reducing CO2


Castrol’s research1


emissions – for the first time. finds that the


deployment of lower viscosity lubricants has reduced 5,260,000 tonnes of CO2


between


2005 and 2014. This is equivalent to almost three times the CO2


flights from Heathrow each year2


produced by all .


10 emissions is a major


The move to bespoke formulations To tackle CO2


emissions in the automotive


emissions today and in the future. In all likelihood, this will mean a move away from general purpose lubricants, to bespoke formulations.


We have been working with partners such as Ford and Volkswagen to develop lower viscosity grade lubricants that provide fuel economy improvement and therefore cut CO2


emissions. For


example, Volkswagen moved to our lower 0W-30 grade lubricant – the new LL III 0W-30 formulation. This has been adopted as the factory fill formulation in Volkswagen vehicles since May 2014. A new LL IV 0W-20 formulation is now in development, which will provide in excess of four per cent fuel economy improvement.3


Further efforts to meet fuel economy targets can be seen in our work with Ford. Their 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder EcoBoost™ engine – winner of the European Engine of the Year for three years running – is a keystone in its efforts to meet fuel economy needs and stringent carbon dioxide limits. Ford boosted engine power by 12 per cent while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 25 per cent across its European fleet. Following our co-engineering programme to create an engine oil for the EcoBoost™


engine,


Ford now recommends the backward- compatible Ford Castrol Professional Magnatec™


5W-20 oil for virtually all gasoline-fuelled Fords in Europe.


Thinner oil is just half the story though. In parallel to the work we have been doing engineering the viscosity of our oils, we’ve been developing their strength and durability. We’ve been running more tests of greater severity than ever before, ensuring the optimum mix of viscosity and protection for a long, efficient vehicle life.


Looking to the future


Looking ahead, if the automotive industry as a whole was to adopt Castrol’s leading fuel efficient engine oils (eg 0W-20) -


LUBE MAGAZINE NO.125 FEBRUARY 2015 1


The research undertaken by Castrol Professional looks at changes in engine oil viscosities through total industry lubricant sales for the last ten years (2004 – 2014) and is based on publically available statistics in two major markets – the UK and the US. It takes into account top down data, for example statistics on the number of vehicles, mileage, new fuel consumption and Castrol Professional sales volume by viscosity and the weighted lubricant impact on CO2


emissions. A bottom up process,


using data such as international energy statistics, has also been used to cross check findings.


2


Based on calculations from http://visualization. geblogs.com/visualization/co2/


3 Based on Volkswagen’s own calculations


industry, manufacturers and dealers need to truly commit to adopting innovation. By properly considering each component of a vehicle, including the lubricant, the industry will be better able to neutralise CO2


emissions would be reduced by 16.9 million tonnes between 2015 and 2024. This all serves to demonstrate that there are clearly still significant savings to be made through technological advances and effective co-engineering.


CO2


Castrol has made fuel economy and reducing CO2


a central part of its work


with manufacturers – and a key focus for its products – such as pioneering low temperature methods for blending oils.


Our products are already the world’s first certified carbon dioxide neutral engine oils, meeting strict international environmental standards. Following full global product roll out, Castrol Professional aims to reach half a million tonnes of neutralised CO2 in 2015. We hope the rest of the industry will follow suit.


Ultimately, manufacturers and suppliers alike need to prepare now for legislative and hardware changes, and work together to solve the challenges of the future. In order to make a real difference and reduce emissions, our whole industry needs to consider every CO2


saving that


can be made – from engine development to the last drop of lubricant.


Improving mechanical design is one clear option for manufacturers but changing engine oil is a low cost and efficient option for those that are committed to reaching ever more ambitious CO2


goals.


Richard Egan, Head of Technology at Castrol Professional.


LINK www.castrol.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53