The company launched its new fuel in Melbourne in March 1986, several months ahead of the deadline set by government. Shell branded unleaded petrol Ultra and that became the generic term for the new fuel in Australia. Later in 1986, following extensive market research, Shell responded to the demand of some customers for a higher octane unleaded petrol and released Shell Ultra-Hi, the first premium unleaded on the Australian market. This fuel was sought by drivers of high performance cars and those who wished to give their unleaded vehicles a ‘treat’ from time to time. Over the past decade the formulation of both unleaded and premium unleaded have varied only slightly through changing performance additives. Shell Ultra and Shell Ultra-Hi brand names have disappeared to be replaced by the generic names unleaded and premium unleaded. Shell was also the first company to change the name of its ‘super’ fuel to ‘leaded’. In 1994 Shell responded to a government directive to reduce the quantity of lead in unleaded petrol by slashing lead to less than half the maximum allowed by government. On February 1 that year Shell sites in Victoria and NSW were stocked with ‘half lead’. The launch of Shell ‘half lead’ was an environmental and marketing success made possible by massive investment in Shell’s refineries at Geelong in Victoria and Clyde in NSW. It was suitable for use in all pre-1986 cars that previously ran on leaded petrol. Governments and Shell remained committed to phasing out leaded petrol and in August 1999 Shell became the first oil company to launch lead replacement petrol in Australia, with its introduction in Perth. This was within four weeks of the WA Premier’s statement that no leaded petrol would be sold in that state as of January 2000. Shell seized the initiative, launching lead replacement petrol (LRP), a new petrol which maintained all the power of leaded petrol together with an additive that the RAC of WA said “…provided the best anti-wear properties.” Two months later, Shell went on to claim an Australian first later with the launch of Shell Optimax, a revolutionary High Density High Octane (HDHO) unleaded petrol suitable for all unleaded and most leaded petrol-engine vehicles. Designed in direct response to customer requests for a petrol that delivered greater responsiveness and improved drivability, Shell Optimax marked the most significant petrol initiative since the introduction of unleaded in 1986. For the first time, environmental considerations were balanced with motorists’ requests to produce a high density, high octane unleaded petrol which provided improvements in economy, smoother, faster delivery of power and a clean engine. Shell remains committed to ensuring that its fuel technology keeps pace with the engine technology being developed by car manufacturers around the world, and has recently formulated yet another fuel innovation. In November 2005 Shell will claim a world first when it launches its new flagship 100 octane fuel Shell Optimax Extreme, creating a new ‘super premium’ petrol category for the Australian marketplace. Scientifically formulated in Australia, the breakthrough fuel formulation uses 5% ethanol as an octane-boosting component designed specifically to deliver increased performance, efficiency and better economy, while cleaning the engine’s carbon deposits. The revolutionary 100 octane ‘super premium’ fuel will be manufactured at Shell’s Geelong refinery and is the first significant advance in unleaded fuel technology since the introduction of Shell Optimax in 1999. SHELL FIRSTS 1986 Ultra (Unleaded) Ultra Hi premium unleaded 1994 Half Lead 1999 (August) Lead Replacement Petrol 1999 (October) Shell Optimax 2005 (November) Shell Optimax Extreme
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