Researchers have found that a new engine lubricant, designed for use in commercial vehicles and buses, can make a contribution to improving fuel economy and cutting emissions.
The researchers undertook a study in which two significantly different UK buses were taken directly from the FirstGroup fleet and used for a period of two weeks for fuel economy testing. The testing included two commercially available engine lubricants and was completed on a test track in the UK.
Each bus tested both fluids using a drive cycle derived from data obtained from real bus routes in the UK.
In addition to a large number of test runs, an innovative data analysis and statistical approach was utilised in order to validate all data recorded during the study.
This method enabled the authors to overcome the weaknesses of a highly variably study demonstrating statistically significant fuel consumption savings in two independent urban transit vehicles operating under a real world track-based test cycle.
A new lubricant additive developed by Lubrizol (CV9601), which was used in the study, is shown to cut fuel consumption by between 1.4% and 4.5%, depending on the type of vehicle and operation it is used in.