We are helping more customers use less energy and lower their emissions when they drive.
RAISING FUEL ECONOMY
Our Shell Fuel Economy formula fuels contain blends of advanced additives and cleaning agents that help drivers improve their fuel efficiency. We launched Shell Fuel Economy fuels in three more countries in 2008. By year-end, they were available in main grade Shell petrol in 21 countries and in main grade diesel in nine of these, including India and Mauritius, helping more than a million drivers save fuel. We will be continuing to roll out and update advanced main grade fuels under the Shell FuelSave brand.When these fuels are combined with changed driving habits, the results are impressive, as our Shell FuelSave Challenge conducted over two years shows. Participants in the Challenge drove for a month using standard techniques, and fuel from a competitor. Instructors then trained them to use Shell FuelSave tips. For the following month, drivers used these tips, together with Shell Fuel Economy formula fuels. As a result, approximately 40% of participants improved their fuel economy by more than 5%, and nearly a third improved by more than 10%. We have trained more than 2,200 drivers in ten countries in Asia and Europe since the programme was first piloted in 2007 and intend to extend the programme further in 2009.
LOCAL AIR POLLUTION
More stringent fuel and vehicle regulations, combined with investments in technology, will continue to reduce the amount of local pollutants a vehicle emits. This will make an important contribution to reducing smog, particularly in the fast-growing cities of the developing world. In the early 1990s, we were one of the first companies to produce ultra-low sulphur diesel on a commercial scale (in Sweden). We have invested more than $1 billion at our refineries over the last ten years to produce the lower sulphur fuels that many governments and modern engines require. The sulphur levels of the fuels we sell today vary, depending on what is available from local refineries. These differences will narrow, as more governments in developing countries (often the owners of the main local refineries) can afford the costs of desulphurisation. We continue to work with governments to promote the introduction of lower sulphur fuels and the modern engines needed to get the benefits from these fuels.
CHANGING THE OIL
Thanks to new technologies and their advanced friction-reducing additives, our premium motor oils can help cars, buses and trucks reduce their fuel consumption. For example, in 2008, truck manufacturer Daimler set the Guinness World Record for the most fuel-efficient 40-tonne truck, using the new Shell Rimula R6 LME heavy-duty engine oil and New Shell Diesel. We are also voluntarily phasing out the least energy-efficient lubricants from our motor-oil selection worldwide. In this way, customers are encouraged to buy more energy-efficient lubricants that help them improve mileage and reduce their vehicle’s CO2 emissions.
