Govt agency sees the light and saves £14,000
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THE Property Services Agency — responsible for the operation of 540 Government vans and cars in the Greater London area — is to operate its fleet on light viscosity oil (LVO).
The operating costs are expected to fall by up to £14,000 per year because of the switch from the current 20W50 oil to the lighter 10W30 grade, and it is estimated that if LVOs were used throughout the entire PSA petrol driven fleet, the annual savings on fuel costs due to the lower oil drag could amount to £49,000.
The decision to change the grade of oil was based on tests carried out in conjunction with BP, using 110 Bedford CF vans and 32 cars.
Two methods were used to evaluate the effect of the lighter oil on fuel consumption. First, the engine oil in each vehicle was changed to BP VF7 and the fuel consumption obtained was compared with the result achieved during the same period of the previous year.
After completion of these tests, fuel flowmasters were fitted to certain vehicles and comparisons made between those using the lighter VF7 oil and those with the normal 20W50 multigrade.
After four weeks the oil type was reversed in each vehicle to reduce the effect of individual driving habits and differing use.
Fuel savings of between two and five per cent were recorded in these tests, though the oil consumption increased during the period in question.
But marketing manager of BP Gordon Wiles stressed that this increase was marginal.
It meant the difference between 61/2 and 5 litres (1.4 against 1.1 gal) of oil over a 32,000km (20,000 mile) period, a penalty which was "outweighed substantially" by fuel savings, according to Mr Wiles.