The lubricant contribution

With vehicle fuel economy improvement high on the agenda for governments, OEMs and consumers it is not surprising that it has become one of the key drivers for change in lubricant technology. Today, pressures to improve fuel economy are coming from all quarters.

Many OEMs are facing the threat of significant penalties for non-compliance with CO₂ emissions legislation and there is almost universal pressure from consumers to deliver vehicles with enhanced fuel economy figures.

It is hardly surprising then that OEMs are looking at fuel economy improvements from every angle. And vehicle lubricants have not escaped their scrutiny.

In our conversations with OEMs it is apparent that improvements in fuel economy even as small as 1%, derived from the additive system and through the use of lower viscosity oils, would be well received.

What’s more, delivering fuel economy improvement via this type of next generation lubricant technology is very attractive to OEMs because it is relatively easy and inexpensive to implement since it requires no engine component re-engineering. However, it is essential to ensure engine durability is maintained.

The development of a lubricant capable of delivering additional fuel economy savings, versus today’s best capabilities, potentially requires breakthrough technology.

This type of step out performance requires high levels of investment, which means it is essential to understand just what value the market stakeholders place on additional lubricant derived fuel economy.  

PCMO – Focus on factory fill

In the passenger car motor oil (PCMO) market the use of low viscosity grades is driven by fuel economy requirements.

Currently most fuel economy products are designed for the factory fill market. This is simply because the fuel economy benefits derived from the lubricant alone would be hard for consumers to detect.

However, OEMs value every contribution to fuel economy performance. This is particularly the case in Western Europe, where many OEMs are focusing their efforts meeting the limits set by CO₂ emissions reduction legislation in order to avoid heavy fines.

The European Union has plans to tighten emissions legislation applied to new passenger cars. By 2015, the fleet average to be achieved by all cars registered in the EU is based on a limit of 130 grams per kilometre (g/km). The exact figure will be different for the various manufacturers, as it is related to average vehicle kerb weight.

Manufacturers whose fleets exceed the limits in any year will have to pay an excess emissions premium for each car registered. Many OEMs need to cut their CO₂ emissions by 10-30 g/km to meet the 2015 limits or face penalties for non-compliance, which could run to billions of euros per annum.

CO₂ reduction is being achieved in several ways: engine downsizing, efficient dynamics, the introduction of hybrid technology, thermal management and improvements to combustion and air handling systems.

In addition, the lubricant can and must play an important role. This has spurred the trend towards lower viscosity oils and formulations that, thanks to innovative additive technology, can deliver increased fuel economy.

Significant value

Based on recent Infineum studies in Western Europe, the OEM penalties that would be saved from a 1% improvement in fuel economy would theoretically be in excess of 150 euros / vehicle (vs. the penalties in place as of 2015). Lubricants and lubricant additives can be instrumental in supporting the efforts of OEMs to improve fuel economy.

In the longer term the EU has its sights set on a target of 95 g/km by 2020, a figure that will bring significant challenges to vehicle makers.

Outside of Western Europe the pressure is also mounting. CO₂ emissions targets and penalties are becoming more and more stringent; and the consumers’ appetite for fuel efficient vehicles is increasing.

More challenging limits are being imposed within the CAFE regulations in the USA, and in Japan a CAFE scheme which raises automotive fuel economy standards by over 20% could be implemented by 2020, with fiscal incentives to help achieve this target.

In addition to avoiding fines, being recognised as a ‘green’ company is becoming increasingly important to many vehicle manufacturers, making more OEMs receptive to fuel efficient lubricants.

For all these reasons, an increasing number of OEMs are introducing their own engine tests to measure fuel economy, on top of figures mandated by key market specifications.

As a result, engine downsizing is becoming a trend globally, although different regions are moving at different paces in this respect.

HDD – Value for fleet owners

In the heavy-duty diesel (HDD) market a different picture is emerging. Here we can see a very clear value proposition for fleet owners who are cost conscious and very interested in lowering the total cost of operation. The value of using less fuel over the oil drain period is very attractive.

However, the current challenge is in demonstrating that the fuel savings are attributable to the lubricant. The accurate measurement of fuel economy performance is not an easy task and any test needs to be designed rigorously and carefully to isolate the lubricant derived benefit.

Alternatively, the benefit from the lubricant needs to be so large that it is clearly visible above the ‘noise’ generated by non-lubricant factors.

Today the use of fuel efficient lubricants by OEMs is essentially driven by the need to address end users’ fuel economy demands in order to increase their vehicle sales.

However, this picture could be set for change. CO₂ regulation is already under discussion in the EU and in North America the first ever standards to reduce CO₂ emissions from medium and heavy-duty vehicles have been introduced.

The EPA expects these combined standards to reduce CO₂ emissions by about 270 million metric tons and save about 530 million barrels of oil over the life of vehicles built for the 2014 to 2018 model years.

Also, in Europe, some OEMs have begun to introduce their own engine tests to measure fuel economy.

High future potential

It is clear that the drive to improve the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks will increase in the coming years. In the short term it is possible to deliver improved fuel economy by carefully rebalancing existing component and formulation solutions.

However, it is essential to balance the need for fuel economy improvements with the need to meet the most challenging OEM and industry specifications to ensure adequate hardware protection.

The lubricant industry must assess how to deliver maximum fuel economy while maintaining excellent engine durability, at a time when engine technology is becoming more complex.

In both PCMO and HDD markets we believe there is still the potential to achieve additional fuel economy improvements from the lubricant by deploying new components and by formulating at lower viscosities. However, it is important to look further ahead than just the next few years.

Developing new technologies that deliver a step change in fuel economy performance is a lengthy process. To achieve this type of development it is essential for us to work closely with oil marketers and vehicle manufacturers early in the development cycle of next generation engine hardware.

This co-creation of lubricant  and hardware will ensure, as fuel economy becomes more of a driver, that we do not to lose sight of the fact that the lubricant must also offer enhanced engine protection.

Infineum is fully committed to the exploration of innovative technology solutions to deliver improved fuel economy and adequate engine protection to OEMs and end users.

Download this article