redOrbit: Shell Improves Fuel Economy

Posted on: Monday, 14 April 2008, 00:00 CDT
By Hezeri Samsuri

BEFORE you splurge your money on equipment that claims to give better fuel economy to your car, Shell has proven again that changing your driving habits can help you save.

In fact, you can easily save up to 10 per cent or more in fuel economy.

According to Datuk Mohzani Abdul Wahab, managing director of Shell Trading (M) Sdn Bhd, the company has been campaigning about fuel economy for the past 70 years.

Examples of such campaigns are the Fuel Economy Guinness World of Records (where the Taylor couple went around the world in just 24 tanks of Shell fuel), New Shell Fuel Economy Formula (the introduction of Synthetic Viscous Friction Improver in Shell’s petrol), the Shell one-tank challenge (a drive from Kuala Lumpur to Penang and back in one tank) and the Global Drivers and Fuel Economy Report (a survey done in various countries around the world to study driving habits and fuel economy perceptions).

Last year, the company was involved in its Fuel Economy Fleet Challenge, where this time Shell worked closely with a few fleet operators.

What happened was Shell did a pre-trial tracking exercise by collecting four weeks of petrol and mileage data, flew in the Taylors (who were somewhere in Chile at that time) and trained the company’s staff on the proper driving techniques and the do’s and don’ts, finally collecting four weeks worth of data on the company’s petrol and mileage usage.

One of the companies which has participated and was willing to share the result is Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB). With offices all over the country and a huge fleet of cars, Shell training has resulted in two thirds of the drivers claiming they saved fuel and 41 per cent said they experienced five to 20 per cent better fuel economy.

It seems that sticking to one brand of petrol does work, for a very simple and logical reason – fuel has additives and mixing them will stop you from gaining their advantages.

Eric G. Holthusen, Shell’s fuels manager for Asia Pacific, explained that Shell fuel has been added with SVFI or Synthetic Viscous Friction Improver.

“From our research on engines, deposits and friction are two factors that contribute to high fuel usage. Our additives ensures the engine stays clean while the SVFI lubricates the engine from the top, which helps the engine oil that lubricates it from the bottom,” he said.

“But SVFI must be replaced from time to time and this is a reason why you must stick to Shell.”

For those who place performance more than anything else, Shell remains the only oil and gas company in Malaysia that sells premium petrol – Shell V-Power Racing (VPR).

Dubbed as the designer fuel, VPR has proven to give you the added advantage in engine performance.

CBT has used VPR on various occasions while reviewing cars, and the result has never failed to carve a smile on our face.

Shell Fuel Stretch Tips

* Change gear in good time;

* Drive smoothly – avoid hard acceleration;

* Avoid sudden braking;

* Make sure your tyres are properly inflated;

* Avoid over revving your car;

* Avoid carrying excess weight;

* Switch off your engine when it’s not in use;

* Use your air-conditioning sparingly;

* Keep your engine well-tuned and serviced;

* Avoid high speeds; and

* Change your oil regularly – use a high quality motor oil like Shell Helix.

(c) 2008 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Source: New Straits Times

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