New Shell FuelSave Unleaded Petrol

In the early days of the automobile, petrol was just the liquid fuel without enhancement by additives

Once upon a time, petrol was just plain petrol which was poured into the tank and got burnt up in the combustion chamber. Then various chemicals, also known as additives, were added to petrol to enhance its performance in various ways, initially to extract more performance from the engine. Over the decades, additive technology became a very important part of fuel development and every petroleum company would spend millions on R&D to come up with new formulations that made the fuel better in various ways.

In the past couple of decades though, the emphasis has switched from performance to cleanliness as a clean engine runs at its best and has the  greatest fuel efficiency. Stricter emission control regulations which began from the early 1970s, concerns about diminishing fuel supplies and rising pump prices have kept the petroleum companies busy trying to find new ways to stretch each litre of fuel.

Shell, as a global leader in the field, has a long history of offering fuels with high quality and formulations which have constantly raised standards of efficiency. The company has enormous resources worldwide and makes full use of them to develop better fuels.

Today, Shell Malaysia introduced what is described as its 'most advanced fuel economy formula’ – Shell FuelSave Unleaded. This new petrol is available for both RON97 and RON95 grades at the prevailing government-controlled pump prices. At this time, Shell FuelSave Unleaded is available in Peninsular Malaysia but will soon also be supplied to East Malaysia.

The new petrol formulation was first introduced in Holland just 6 months ago and Malaysia is the first country in Asia to launch the product and only the third market in the world to have it. One of the reasons why Shell has often chosen Malaysia as the first market for a new product has been due to the sophistication of the market as well as the greater control it has over the production facilities which are in Malaysia.

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The new formulation is claimed to save up to 1 litre of petrol per tankful of 50 litres so that’s about 2% savings. Of course, fuel consumption will vary from motorist to motorist and vehicle to vehicle since there different driving styles as well as different conditions. However, Shell Malaysia is confident that motorists will enjoy noticeable savings with the new fuel as thorough testing has been done in the laboratory as well as real-world trials by all kinds of drivers over 8,000 kms in 20 different vehicles from a global range of manufacturers.

“The new Shell FuelSave Unleaded was found to give twice the efficiency of the previous Shell Fuel Economy Formula and savings were achieved in every test with some even saving in excess of one litre per tankful,” said Dato’ Mohzani Wahab, MD of Shell Malaysia Trading and Shell Timur.

Efficiency Improver in the new formula reduces energy losses inside the engine as it lubricates where engine oils can't easily reach

One of the secrets of the new formula is a new component called an Efficiency Improver which enters the combustion chambers and coats surfaces so they generate less friction, reducing energy losses. Less frictional losses mean more energy available for power output, enhancing fuel efficiency.

In addition, the Shell FuelSave Unleaded formula also has special detergents to keep inlet valves clean and stop deposits from building up. These deposits not only have a negative effect on combustion but can also absorb some fuel, causing unnecessary losses that lead to poor fuel consumption.

“While the detergents may take a while to clean up the engine, the Efficiency Improver’s effect can be felt from the first full tank of petrol,” said Eric G, Holthusen (also known as 'Dr Fuels’), who leads Shell’s regional Fuel Technology Group at the Malaysian-based Shell Asia Pacific Service Centre. “It gets to work right away to give the motorist instant benefits in fuel-saving.”

The inclusion of an additional component like the Efficiency Improver means extra cost to Shell but in Malaysia, because pump prices are controlled, it can’t charge motorists more. Nevertheless, Shell Malaysia treats it as part of the initiative to help drivers save fuel and money and expects to recover the cost over time.

“It does increase cost but we are selling in huge volumes and with this much better fuel that saves money, we are sure that more motorists will choose Shell FuelSave Unleaded and increased volumes should offset the increased costs eventually,” said Dato’ Mohzani.

The new Shell FuelSave Unleaded petrol is now available at all Shell stations in Peninsular Malaysia

Visit www.shell.com.my to learn more about Shell FuelSave Unleaded and also tips on how to go further on each litre of fuel

Related article: Additives in petrol

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