During Automotive Megatrends India 2015, a number of speakers illustrated the benefits of using advanced lubricants and engine oils in the heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) market. But the industry is hesitant to adopt new oils despite clear benefits, explained Jean Paul Souchez, Product Development Manager, Total.
“The first generation fuel economy 2000:30 grade oils were introduced alongside the usual 40 grade oils a few years ago. Second generation oils are very close to entering the market, but consumers are cautious,” he said. This is due to worry surrounding the “potential impact on the wear of components when using these so-called fuel economy oils.”
However, he believes that forthcoming legislative targets across the world will justify the adoption of next generation lubricants that can help increase powertrain efficiency and reduce emissions. “But consumers also want to know how much benefit to expect when using fuel economy oils,” he continued. “They want to measure fuel economy benefits, and they want proof through trials, even though there are no international specific standards in place to measure these benefits.”
When using the fuel economy oils, Souchez thinks powertrain efficiency can be improved by as much as 15%. A critical factor that adds to this efficiency is high temperature high shear (HTHS), which can improve fuel economy while simultaneously lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. “Reducing HTHS viscosity from 3.5cP to 3.0cP gives, on average, an extra 0.6% benefit in fuel economy,” he said. “Low HTHS field trials that Total has carried out have been quite positive. We ran a 6.5-litre diesel North American engine, for example, which saw a 3% to 5% improvement in fuel economy when idle.”
But HTHS may not be the answer to every scenario, he admitted. “Essentially, in some conditions, the benefits are not evident. But in optimal conditions, the highest benefit is 7% in fuel economy.”
Ieuan Adams, Engine Oil Development Technologist, Castrol, also believes that lowering the viscosity of oils will be integral for the future of the HDV segment: “There has been a drive towards low viscosity oils in the passenger car market for some time, where fuel economy targets have always been hugely influential. We expect much of the same thing to happen within the HDV market – oils will become an increasingly popular way of making cost-effective improvements to fuel economy.”
Looking ahead, Souchez pointed to the introduction of Proposed Category 11 (PC-11) – a new category of engine oils that has been developed by various companies to meet legislative requirements. He is confident that many markets across the world will be able to adopt the new oil, and see substantial benefits in fuel economy as a result.
Michael Nash
