New Shell fuel pushes boundaries of efficiency

PILIPINAS SHELL retail marketing manager Arlene Manalo. Photos by Charles E. Buban

There are various ways to improve fuel economy: Buying a fuel-efficient car, keeping all tires properly inflated, keeping in mind to accelerate slowly as well as brake over a longer distance, keeping the vehicle’s load light, and even scheduling one’s trips and errands when traffic is lighter.

While a few of these suggestions may seem impractical (like replacing your current car for something that costs less to run), some may also be a little tough to follow as they entail drastically changing one’s driving lifestyles that he or she has grown accustomed to.

Fortunately, starting next week drivers here in the Philippines will no longer be entirely on their own when it comes to finding ways to cut fuel costs.

This is because Pilipinas Shell has finally launched the Shell FuelSave, the oil giant’s most advanced fuel economy formulation for both gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles.

What is unique about these two breakthrough fuels is that they both help motorists save up to 1 liter for every full tank, the most savings that a fuel could provide to date.

Proud

“We go to great lengths to understand the needs of motorists. Over the years, we’ve performed road trials equivalent to going round the world hundreds of times in order to be sure that the fuels we deliver will work in real world. Closely monitored from refinery to road, we know that Shell FuelSave is a quality fuel, developed to help keep your engine clean and to maintain its efficiency,” announced Arlene Manalo, Pilipinas Shell Inc. retail marketing manager.

Manalo explained that both Shell FuelSave Unleaded and Diesel are formulated to help motorists save on fuel money without sacrificing too much in the way of driving pleasure.

“What is more wonderful is that the new Shell FuelSave formula is also designed to give instant benefits, meaning the fuel gets to work from the first full tank. We invite motorists to try the new Shell FuelSave Unleaded or Diesel and experience the immediate savings themselves,” she said.

Twice effective

The FuelSave Unleaded and Diesel are both rated to be twice as effective as Shell’s previous Fuel Economy Formula.

These measurements were based on tests that employed minimum tank size filled with 50 liters of fuel (one filled with standard gasoline and another with Shell’s fuel economy formula).

According to Shell’s fuel technology senior scientist John Lambert who served as resource speaker during the launch held Monday at the Makati Shangri-La, both Shell FuelSave Unleaded and Diesel are enriched with an advanced efficiency improver.

Different target

Lambert explained that his fellow scientists at Shell identified a different area to target—lubrication—in order to improve efficiency.

“We found that the top of the cylinder and the piston heads were often inconsistently coated with oil, which results in greater friction. We came up with a solution that will improve the lubrication of the piston rings. This new fuel is formulated to lubricate where normal engine oils can’t easily reach. This enables the engine to turn more freely and make more of the fuel’s energy available to drive the wheels,” he said.

In addition, both Shell FuelSave Unleaded and Diesel contain special detergents designed to keep the engine’s inlet valves clean and prevent mileage robbing deposits from building up in the engine.

“Combustion is most efficient when precise amounts of air and fuel are mixed together at the right time. With some conventional fuels, deposits may form over time on the back of the inlet valves that can lead to delays in the required fuel charge entering the engine and a poor mix of fuel and air. All of which leads to a reduction in the engine’s efficiency and therefore worsen fuel consumption,” explained Lambert.

PILIPINAS SHELL president Ed Chua (center) with newly-named Shell FuelSave ambassador Agoncillo and Shell’s fuel technology senior scientist John Lambert at the Shell FuelSave launch. Photo by Charles E. Buban

Actual setting

To really prove the mettle of the formulation, Shell fuel scientists worked together with Shell vehicle engineers to devise a number of demonstration routes typical of daily driving.

“Fuel economy savings were achieved in the series of on-road demonstrations that span over 8,000 kilometers in Europe a couple of months ago. Some results even surpassed expectations as a number of vehicles in the tests achieved saving in excess of one liter per tank,” said Lambert who added that actual savings varied from vehicle to vehicle since one has to take into account driving conditions and driving style.

In fact, in the recently regional test held in Malaysia, the same results were observed as reported by TV host-actor Ryan Agoncillo, who is the country’s Shell FuelSave ambassador.

He related that the four-member Philippine FuelSave Team composed of Mel Anthony Endozo, Roland Patrick Villareal, Adrian Mark Law and Vanessa Santos were impressed with the fuel’s performance.

“The new fuels have been in development for five years and with the test we just validated the claims of saving up to 1 liter of fuel per 50 liters,” reported Agoncillo.

All Shell fuels?

For those wondering why the new formulation will not be used in all Shell fuels, Lambert explained that like all Shell fuels, the FuelSave has been formulated to meet the specific demand of certain drivers, in the case of this new formulation, those who want to improve their fuel economy at a competitive price (other Shell fuels meet different needs, offering, for example, high-performance motoring).

Could the Shell FuelSave be mixed with regular fuel? Lambert said this could also be done although such mixture would result in much less fuel savings.

“To make the most of the fuel economy benefits, we recommend only using Shell FuelSave every time you refuel,” suggested Lambert.