Best Corporate Innovation Award 2016

The Nexcel oil cell is an innovation that is set to introduce revolutionary efficiencies to the way motor engines use and replace lubricants.

Developed by BP subsidiary Castrol, Nexcel made its debut in October 2015 and is initially available in Aston Martin’s Vulcan track-only supercar (pictured). Castrol, based in Berkshire, UK, said Nexcel would be rolled out to other high-performance vehicles over the course of the rest of this decade, and then to popular passenger cars in the 2020s.

Nexcel is a cell than contains both engine oil and an oil filter. One of its biggest selling points is that it can be swapped out when a vehicle’s oil needs to be changed in around 90 seconds – significantly faster than conventional oil changes, which typically take in the region of 20 minutes.

But quick changes aren’t Nexcel’s only advantage: it also delivers superior engine performance as well as a potential reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Nexcel operates on a “dry sump” principle, only allowing the minimum quantity of lubricant into the vehicle’s sump (also known as the oil pan) when it is warming up: this means the engine can reach its optimum operating temperature much more quickly.

Nexcel offers further environmental benefits thanks to the ease with which lubricants can be replaced. The cells, containing all of the car’s old oil, are simply taken out of the engine after use, which means little or no oil is wasted during the course of the changeover. There is also less likely to be contamination with the likes of brake fluid.

As a result, it should be much more straightforward to recycle almost all of the used oil and to reprocess it for further use as high-quality lubricants. The Nexcel cells can themselves be reused as well.

As a further bonus, Nexcel’s internal sensors can keep a closer eye on the condition of the oil and give motorists a clearer idea of when it needs to be changed. The sensors will also be able to give early warning of potential engine faults.

Richard Parry-Jones, chairman of the Nexcel advisory board, said: “If you look back through the whole of Castrol’s history they’ve been innovators, using science to improve the performance of their lubricants and lead their industry.

“Nexcel represents one of its most significant innovations. It offers a solution to a problem that is increasing on the radar scope of manufacturers and when the Nexcel technology becomes standardised, people will wonder why we did it any other way.”

The Nexcel system has been tested on a wide range of vehicles, from small cars designed for urban use to high-powered racing engines. It has been found to work smoothly and effectively under severe braking conditions.

Castrol decided to collaborate with Aston Martin’s low-volume Vulcan supercar in order to accelerate the development of the Nexcel and to thereby allow it to be ready for mass-market production as soon as possible. Castrol says it aims to keep the price of Nexcel at the same level as a standard oil change today.

Andy Palmer, Aston Martin CEO, said: “The Aston Martin Vulcan sets a whole new standard in the ultra-high luxury supercar class, just as the Nexcel technology sets a whole new standard in engine lubrication. It therefore made perfect sense for us to bring these two innovations in engineering together and showcase their capabilities.”

Palmer added: “Today we see Nexcel in our most exotic car, but looking at the technology, I can well imagine seeing this system on every single production car we sell.”

To accommodate Nexcel, a certain amount of engine redesign is necessary, and Castrol is currently in discussion with a number of major manufacturers to see how the system can be integrated into their vehicles.

Oliver Taylor, chief engineer of Nexcel, said: “We’ve been testing the technology now for several years. We have various field trials underway and they include cars from a number of different manufacturers.

“Some of the tests we have done have included, for example, crash tests, and that’s very important because that determines the safety of the system.”

Parry-Jones added: “For car manufacturers who are considering adopting Nexcel, they need to look at the three big advantages of Nexcel and weigh them up. These advantages are: convenience and speed for the customer; fuel-efficiency improvements; and good control of the environmental consequences of the used oil.”