Mobil Delvac 1 Synthetic Engine Oil helps Swedish Transport Company achieve 2% fuel economy
14/01/2016
In recent trials in Sweden, an independent haulage company achieved 2 per cent fuel savings through use of a low-viscosity, Mobil Delvac™-branded synthetic engine oil. Mertz Transport AB, which operates a fleet of 115 trucks of various makes and is based in Malmö in Sweden’s southernmost county, conducted the trial with two trucks using different synthetic engine oils between December 2013 and October 2014.
The 10-month trial, which followed discussions about fuel costs between Mertz Transport and ExxonMobil’s sales and technical engineers in Sweden, involved two new Mercedes Actros Euro V trucks. One used ExxonMobil’s Mobil Delvac™ XHP LE 10W-40 engine oil with the other using lower viscosity Mobil Delvac 1™ LE 5W-30. Both oils meet Mercedes-Benz’s required MB 228.51 lubricant specification for low-ash multigrade engine oils.
Both trucks drove the same route with the same freight, between Malmö in southern Sweden and Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast. The truck using the lower viscosity engine oil, Mobil Delvac 1 LE 5W-30, witnessed a 2 per cent gain in fuel economy, which could translate into a financial saving of SEK 8,454 (ca. £644) per truck, including all related expenses (such as filters and waste oil).
The data from the trial was recorded using MB FleetBoard®, a Mercedes-Benz fleet and driver measurement and reporting data system.
Brice Ilhardoy, Europe sector manager for commercial vehicle lubricants at ExxonMobil, said: “The results of this 10-month trial are very compelling. They derive from the benefit of using a 5W-30 lower viscosity lubricant, which helps the engine work less hard than with a 10W-40 viscosity oil, both on start-up and subsequent driving.
“The trial results show the potential of a 5W-30 grade lubricant to help fleet operators throughout Europe achieve reduced fuel consumption through reduced engine energy usage,” Ilhardoy continued.
Stig Mertz, managing director of Mertz Transport AB, said: “We were very impressed to observe the decisive fuel economy increase that Mobil Delvac 1 LE 5W-30 accomplished compared to Mobil Delvac XHP LE 10W-40 engine oil in these trials. We will consider switching our entire 115-truck fleet to this lower viscosity synthetic lubricant and hope to benefit both from improved fuel economy and streamlined logistics and purchase benefits”.
Mobil Delvac 1 LE 5W-30 is ExxonMobil’s fully synthetic, heavy-duty diesel engine oil. It combines engine protection for modern low emission vehicles with benefits such as engine durability, emissions system protection and extended drain capability. Mobil Delvac XHP LE 10W-40 is a synthetic diesel engine oil engineered to provide lubrication to modern, low emission engines used in severe applications. This engine oil is designed using base oils that provide low temperature fluidity, high temperature viscosity retention and volatility control.
