The Shell Concept Car is a rethink of the Gordon Murray Design T.25 city car produced in 2010. The new car is the result of a co-engineering collaboration between vehicle, engine and lubricant designers, with each of the three elements of the vehicle tailored to work optimally with each other.It takes a holistic view on energy reduction focusing on design material selection; reduced energy demand via aggressive downsizing, and streamlining while enhancing the efficiency of energy delivery through innovative engine design and lubricant formulation to minimise the impact in terms of overall energy lifecycle use.
Shell claims the car’s fuel consumption has been measured using a range of vehicle testing protocols covering both steady state and urban driving styles. Sample test results include a steady state consumption of 107 miles per gallon at 45mph and an improvement of 4.67g CO2/km on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) from the use of bespoke lubricants, equivalent to a 5% improvement in fuel efficiency compared to standard lubricants available in the UK.
“Insights gained from this project could be transformational in terms of how we address energy use in the road transport sector,” said Mark Gainsborough, executive vice-president of Shell’s global lubricants businesses. “This project shows that if we use the best of today’s technology, including cutting edge lubricants science, we could potentially have a major impact on energy use and reduce CO2 emissions.
“The improvement in economy derived from the collaborative design of engine and lubricant is impressive and highlights the enormous benefits achieved from close relationships between design partners. It also shows the powerful role that lubricants can potentially play in helping achieve CO2 reduction targets,” he added.
Gordon Murray’s experiences in Formula One racing have been used to develop the car, particularly its crashworthiness and lightness - the car weighs 550kg. A number of the car’s components were created using 3D printing to accelerate the construction of this prototype vehicle.The car also uses recycled carbon fibre for its body that can be assembled for a quarter of the price of a conventional steel car and almost the entire car can be recycled at the end of its life.
The Shell Concept Car features a novel and sporty seating arrangement with a central driving position and two passenger seats behind, despite the car’s diminutive exterior dimensions. This gives it a turning circle smaller than that of a London taxi, suiting it for urban driving.
Dr Andrew Hepher, vice president, of Shell’s lubricant research team said: “Our car may be small, but it’s packed with potential. We want to accelerate the conversation about how we make road vehicles more energy efficient and less carbon-intensive. In the coming weeks and months, we look forward to sharing our research insights from this project with engine designers, car manufacturers, academics and other experts across the automotive sector.”