Shell V-Power 10th Anniversary

Ten years of power; ten years of performance

It’s been ten years since Shell launched Shell V-Power, ten years of delivering our passion for performance with a fuel that now helps keep over 1 million drivers, in over 60 countries, moving everyday.

Our scientists developed Shell V-Power as a result of over 60 years of shared passion for performance with Ferrari – a world-class technical partnership that has allowed us to gain a unique understanding of motoring performance. Building on our knowledge gained from the racetrack, we were able to produce a fuel designed to improve engine efficiency and responsiveness, so helping motorists to get the most out of their vehicles.

In 2002, we launched a premium diesel fuel, Shell V-Power Diesel. Not only was this new fuel designed to offer results on the road but, when we took the technology onto the track in 2006, the results were equally outstanding. Shell V-Power Diesel road fuel contains highly effective cleaning agents that are incorporated into the race fuel that powered the Audi Sport team to victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours race.  Since that first victory in 2006, Shell V-Power Diesel technology powered the Audi Sport team to victory in the race for the next two years, giving Shell and Audi Sport three consecutive victories to date using Shell V-Power Diesel. Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Sport, declared “Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel is essential to Audi Sport’s success at Le Mans.”  The first-ever diesel team to win at this endurance race, Shell V-Power Diesel and Audi Sport have made history.  According to Allan McNish, driver for the Audi Sport team, “When we won the Le Mans 24 Hours with the Audi R10 TDI for the second time [in 2007], we knew that the diesel performance would herald a new era in motor sport. Shell V-Power Diesel technology underpinned our success, providing a clean and efficient fuel that helps us perform at our best.”

Powering up in Hong Kong

When Shell V-Power was launched in Hong Kong, customers could tell they were part of something special.

In many ways, Hong Kong is the birthplace of Shell V-Power. The premium fuel made its first appearance there on September 14 1998 before rolling out onto forecourts around the world.

From day one, customers could see the value of fuelling their car with Shell V-Power. We were amazed at the number of people ready to choose a performance fuel – following the Hong Kong launch, almost every third customer was choosing the new fuel and it remains the leading premium fuel brand in Hong Kong today.

Success comes from being special

Shell V-Power performs, but just what makes it unlike any other fuel?

Since the first launch in Hong Kong, Shell V-Power fuels have become the premium brand at Shell stations across more than 60 countries around the world. There’s little doubt that Shell V-Power and Shell V-Power Diesel are special. But what is it that makes these fuels so different?

Developed to perform

The answer lies in one word: performance. Developed by the scientists that formulate racing fuels for Scuderia Ferarri, Shell V-Power is designed to improve engine efficiency and responsiveness, so helping motorists get the most out of their vehicles.

To begin with, Shell V-Power frequently offers a higher-octane formulation, designed for improved power and responsiveness. It contains cleaning agents that help prevent the build-up of harmful deposits, while its Friction Modification Technology is designed to build a molecular film over sections of the engine to reduce friction and improve efficiency.

Shell V-Power Diesel also contains highly effective cleaning agents that are incorporated into the race fuel that has repeatedly powered the Audi Sport team to victory. These cleaning agents are  formulated to keep the fuel injectors – responsible for pumping very precise quantities of fuel into the engine cylinder several times per second – free from deposits, for optimum combustion and power delivery.

Racing forward

One of the crucial ingredients in Shell V-Power’s winning formula is the technical partnership with Scuderia Ferrari [link to Ferrari Fuel for your car]. It’s a relationship that has become one of the most successful in the history of motorsport.

Shell has helped propel Scuderia Ferrari to more than 150 victories on the Formula One track, with 12 Federation Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA) World Drivers’ and ten World Constructors’ Championship titles. “It’s a special pleasure to celebrate with a one-two finish the one hundred and fiftieth win in partnership between Ferrari and Shell. Behind our victories are some extraordinary partners,” says Stefano Domenicali, Director of the Ferrari Formula One team. “In a sport where the margin of victory can be measured in microseconds, fuel quality makes a priceless contribution,” says Juan Carlos Pérez, former General Manager of Global Sponsorships, Shell Brands International.

The Formula One track is undoubtedly one of the world’s toughest driving environments and a perfect proving ground for a high-performance fuel. Juan Carlos points out that the relationship between the racing and road fuels is much closer than people think, with 99% of the compounds used in both being of similar types. “We truly take what we’ve learned and tested on the track onto the road.”

According to Dr. Lisa Lilley, Shell Technology Manager for Ferrari, the technical partnership with Scuderia Ferrari gives Shell V-Power scientists a “mobile laboratory” to call on. “The state-of-the-art analysis run in Shell’s Track Lab during every race weekend gives Ferrari peace of mind that its fuel is the best quality possible. It also gives us advanced data to update our computer models, which predict how fuels burn in the engine. This helps our development programmes for the Shell V-Power road fuel used by our customers.”

Lisa adds that the Shell scientists working with Ferrari’s Formula One team are the same people developing fuels for every day motorists “The goal is pretty similar actually; to provide excellent engine performance and fuel efficiency from our Shell V-Power fuels.”

High quality isn’t just for high flyers

If you think Shell V-Power is just for Ferraris, think again.

Shell V-Power has an impressive pedigree. Our technical partnership with Ferrari, alongside collaboration with Audi Sport and Ducati Corse, has certainly helped demonstrate to customers that Shell V-Power and Shell V-Power Diesel are truly different from other fuels on the forecourt. But this high-performance image shouldn’t deter drivers of more practical vehicles.

The idea that Shell V-Power is a high-performance fuel only suitable for top of the range cars and motorbikes is a myth. Quite simply, when Shell set out to develop Shell V-Power, the aim was to produce the best possible fuel for all motorists and the advancements made with Ferrari on the racetrack have been transferred directly to the road.

“The same product benefits [link to Benefits of Shell V-Power] that make Shell V-Power so good for high-specification engines can benefit other motorists as well,” says Ean-Bee Loke, Technology Manager, Premium Gasoline. “As well as offering better  performance , Shell V-Power helps clean the engine of deposits and so helps restore lost performance that deposits can cause  These are important points for everyone, not just the high-performance driver. We also receive a lot of customer feedback indicating that Shell V-Power gives drivers better mileage. This is something everyone can relate to.”