5% improvement in ICE efficiency key to cleaner air

Improving existing internal combustion engine efficiency by up to five percent could have a major impact on air pollution ahead of a full transition to EVs, according to lubricant specialists NEOL Lubricants. 

As Clean Air Day approaches om 19th June, the annual event reminds individuals, communities and organisations to work towards reducing air pollution and raising air quality.

Leyla Alieva, CEO and Co-Founder at NEOL, said: “A five percent improvement in fuel economy can go a long way to meeting our environmental challenges. When you consider that just a one percent increase in the fuel economy of 100 long-haul trucks could equate to the same reduction in emissions as 110 ICE cars being switched to EVs, the math speaks for itself!”

While gradually transitioning the vehicle parc to electric and hybrid drives will offer the ultimate solution to cutting air pollution, reducing emissions emanating from the millions of internal combustion engine vehicles on the road offers the most direct approach.

Alieva added: “The sale of new fossil fuel vehicles has been delayed until 2035 at the earliest for cars and vans, and later for larger vehicles, but the impact of the ban won’t really be felt until 2045 or beyond. Until then, we need to find a way to enhance the efficiency and reduce the emissions of our current vehicles. This is where NEOL comes in.”

Explaining how NEOL’s proprietary anti-wear copper filming technology, CuGlide, is helping, Alieva continued: “Our revolutionary CuGlide additive technology provides a fundamentally new approach to anti-wear and is able to restore existing defects in machine parts.

“The result of this is a considerable reduction in both friction and wear, which improves the lifespan of machines and increases their operational performance. For commercial vehicles, this translates to a longer useful life, cleaner engines and an average fuel economy improvement of five percent.”

The impact can be exponential for HGVs: “The use of NEOL lubricants can potentially contribute to increased torque under full load, optimising vehicle’s performance and reducing the time spent on the road - further bringing down its emissions. 

While net-zero transport is the long-term goal, NEOL sees Clean Air Day 2025 as a reminder that progress doesn’t have to wait. “We all want cleaner air,” said Alieva. “The best way to start is by improving the tools we already use every day.”