Martin, who has worked on heavy goods vehicles for more than 25 years, discusses how oils and lubricants are evolving to meet the changing requirements of new engine designs, with Morris Lubricants’s technology manager Adrian Hill.
It is vital for any commercial vehicle to use the correct engine oil to meet the appropriate manufacturer specifications for engines that comply with current emissions standards. As well as exploring the role of oils in improving engine performance, the video series looks at the adoption of new technologies that might be found in the trucks of the future.
In the first episode, Morris Lubricants reviews how oil formulations and engine designs have evolved to ensure current emissions’ compliance, including the function of aftertreatment devices such as diesel particulate filters and AdBlue Catalysts.
The second episode focuses on how the move toward Euro VII will see a further reduction in exhaust emissions with aftertreatment devices becoming even more efficient. The new engines will also be designed to run on thinner oils to further promote fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 output.
Fleet managers, commercial vehicle mechanics and workshop technicians will start to see an increase in demand for this new generation of thinner engine oils. It many instances, oil film thickness has been reduced to passenger car engine oil levels, but for use in commercial vehicles with payloads that clearly far exceed an average road vehicle.
Episode three considers future alternatives for commercial vehicle power options. Martin and Hill discuss the possibilities - from electrification to hybrid vehicles to hydrogen internal combustion engines or fuel cells.
Hill said: "There is a lot of interest from the commercial vehicle sector in what the future holds for diesel internal combustion engines. The drive towards cleaner and more fuel-efficient technologies is set to continue at pace, so episode three looks at the key factors required for the successful implementation of any potential innovation; the available technology, usable infrastructure and affordable price parity.
"These all have to be considered when evaluating the design of future alternative commercial vehicle power options. Guy was keen to discuss these in depth, especially the potential trade-offs between electrification and payload, due to battery size."
The final episode reviews the vehicle driveline, dedicated to taking power from the engine to the wheels, and how choice of design can contribute to the reduction of emissions.
Hill concluded: "In creating these series of videos with Guy for the commercial vehicle workshop sector, we wanted to provide viewers with insight into how the correct choice of oils and lubricants is of vital importance. Moreover, we wanted to offer some insight into the potential future landscape for commercial vehicle power technologies.
"The modern heavy duty diesel engine is complex and is still evolving. These new engine architectures, power technologies and fuelling strategies produce real world emission reductions, but they will only achieve this if they are used with new generation engine oils, which are as critical as any other component.”
The video series has been launched on Morris Lubricants's website, YouTube channel and Facebook page.