Poundland sees fuel savings of up to 3.5% in trials with Chevron Lubricants Following over 200,000 miles of independent testing of the new Texaco Techron HD fuel system cleaner, UK retailer Poundland has achieved average fuel savings of 3.5 per cent. The results are so significant in fact that the company has decided to use the product across its entire fleet. The testing took place as part of the launch of a new Texaco fuel economy product range which includes Ursa Ultra LE 10W-30 and XLE 5W-30 engine lubricants as well as the Techron HD fuel system cleaner. Global lubricants supplier Chevron is undertaking a series of real world tests to allow commercial fleets to independently evaluate the potential fuel saving benefits. Chevron’s approach was to use an independent consultancy, BPP Transport Engineers, to conduct the trials, supported by specialist Chevron statisticians in the USA to ensure the outcomes were both robust and transparent. Dave Spence, Chevron’s Commercial Sector Marketing Manager said: “We were determined that our methodology and testing procedures would be second to none. Injector deposits in heavy duty vehicles, and the associated reduction in performance is widespread and many of today’s mainstream fuels do not guarantee the prevention of this build up. By helping remove deposits from the fuel injectors, Texaco Techron HD fuel system cleaner can improve fuel efficiency. We are very pleased with the results Poundland achieved and look forward to the results of other trials we are currently running across the UK and Europe.” To ensure consistency of findings, test vehicles were of a similar age, type, mileage and operational background. A full pre-test inspection was carried out with each vehicle, including detailed examination of the service records to identify any significant changes to major driveline components during their lifetime. In addition to account for other influences on fuel consumption, such as weather, correction factors were built into the equations by which the outcomes were calculated. The Poundland vehicles involved in the trial consisted of eight 240 bhp Volvo FM7 two-axle 18 tonne rigids. The vehicles were all around three years old and used on a mixture of mini trunk and store delivery work out of the company’s Willenhall headquarters in the West Midlands. All the test vehicles were fitted with AIC fuel flow meters as well as a telematics package that precisely recorded mileage and other data related to engine performance, such as the amount of idling time. The trials took place over a period of 18 weeks, with an additional four week benchmarking period prior to the start. The vehicles recorded cumulative mileage in excess of 200,000 miles across the eight vehicles. Four were used as non-intervention control vehicles and four actively took part in the trial. Andy Monk, Supply Chain Director at Poundland said: “Fuel is one of our largest costs so I was delighted but somewhat sceptical when asked to participate in a trial which might lead to reduced fuel consumption for our fleet of trucks. “The rigorously conducted trials of the Texaco fuel system cleaner, overseen by independent and respected fleet engineers, has demonstrated that this product could save big money for us and many in our industry…and as a result of our working together in this trial we are switching our entire fleet to use Techron HD” Poundland Limited is the largest single price general merchandise retailer in Europe, running a fleet of over 130 vehicles and with an annual fuel bill of around £7 million, every cost saving is important. Source: Chevron Business Online