“We wanted students to connect the dots between the role quality motor oils play in the fuel efficiency equation, so we created the Pennzoil Tribology Award,” says Dr. Allie Falender, Technology Manager and Pennzoil Tribology Award co-judge. “As the world’s energy resources are shrinking, the cost to an average motorist continues to rise. Over 2 billion vehicles are expected on the roads by 2050 and fuel efficiency is becoming increasingly important.”

Falender says that other than vehicle design, choice of fuel and driving methods, high quality motor oils improve vehicle fuel efficiency. 

Falender offers that "many drivers are not aware that if enough deposits form in the engine, there could be a loss of 3-6% of your fuel economy," referring to fuel economy measurements made using CAFE cycle under FTP75. 

"Quality motor oils keep an engine clean, which makes a positive impact on how many miles you can drive per year," she adds. "There is a real science behind this, and that’s what the Pennzoil Tribology Award is all about.”

The voluntary off-track Award rewards students for demonstrating the application of lubrication principles to their design in order to improve their fuel economy result on-track. Student teams competing in Shell Eco-marathon Americas over the weekend of April 25 – 27 applied for the Award by writing an essay and interacting in person with judges. The winning team, University of Toronto (UT)—also winners of other off-track awards and neck-and-neck with the 1st place winners in their division—received a trophy and $2,000. Their vehicle included a fully-custom engine that was designed and manufactured in-house up from the nuts and bolts, so they could control all variables—including their application of lubrication science—with a singular focus of ultimate fuel efficiency.

“Shell has been pushing the boundaries of fuel efficiency gains of engine oils for years and is now encouraging students, our scientists and engineers of tomorrow, to consider the same," says Paul Bogers, technology general manager, Global Commercial. "The latest lubricant technology can start improving the fuel efficiency of every vehicle on the road today right now, without the need to buy a new car. About a fifth of energy in fuel is used to overcome friction in cars. By using the right high-quality motor oil with a lower viscosity, such as Pennzoil, less fuel would be used to overcome resistance, resulting in reduced cost to a motorist.”

Université Laval’s Alérion Supermileage team ultimately took top honors with an impressive achievement of 2,824 miles per gallon (mpg). With that kind of mileage, the Alérion Supermileage vehicle could travel from Houston all the way to Detroit – host city for Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2015 – on less than a half gallon of fuel. S

“This remarkable achievement by the winning team occurred without tailoring the lubricants for the vehicle or specific demands of the engine and drivetrain," says Bogers. "This type of close development between the design of the vehicle and design of the lubricant, which we at Shell call co-engineering, brings even more scope for squeezing additional miles out of a single gallon of fuel.

“Through activities like the Pennzoil Tribology Award, we hope to engage students who are already passionate about innovation and help them better understand the role quality motor oils—and the science of Tribology—play in fuel efficiency,” he says.

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