Demystifying Shell V-Power and understanding why it is good for your engine’s health

When it comes to Shell V-Power, most of us are in the dark, if we bothered to tell the truth when asked about the product.

We ignore it – heck, it costs more than ordinary fuel, and we are immediately put off.

Why would anyone want to fill their tank with fuel that costs more than ordinary fuel? Fuel prices are bad enough as it is, and our cars get along just fine with ordinary fuel.

So why would we bother with Shell V-Power?

I met Jackson Kilimani, the Quality Manager at Vivo Energy, over a coffee at Java House. Coffee and sandwiches, to be accurate. The fact that Java House is right next to one of the oldest Shell Petrol Stations in town was probably just a cheerful coincidence.

For the record, Vivo Energy is the company licensed to market, sell and distribute Shell products in Africa.

Mr. Kilimani has an eager, nervous air about him, until he starts talking about hydrocarbons, engines, and what makes the two tick. Then he becomes animated, and eloquent – almost poetic. He answered my questions with ease, and I was one curious human.

It helped breakdown what is, even at its most basic, a technical topic.

Shell V-Power is a type of petrol that Shell sells for spark ignition engines, i.e. engines that use petrol.

Jackson got to define it even further: A spark-ignition engine is an internal combustion engine, generally a petrol engine, where the combustion process of the air-fuel mixture is ignited by a spark from a spark plug.

The Shell brand is the only one in the country that is involved in the business of fuel ‘types’ when it comes to petrol. Every other brand simply sells one type of petrol; Shell has two.

How different is Shell V-Power petrol from ordinary petrol? It is different with a focus in two areas: performance enhancement, and engine protection. What is done to Shell V-Power back in the fuel preparation labs, explains the slight price difference from ordinary petrol.

Now that we have those establishing facts out of the way, let’s focus on my interview with Jackson Kilimani, which was like taking a trip back in time to my O’ Level organic Chemistry class. He would make a brilliant chemistry teacher, this man.

Who should use Shell V Power petrol?

It improves performance of any car actually. 

If you own a race car, so you will find chaps from the rally fraternity raise their hands first as customers of Shell V-Power first. That is our first category.

The demands of luxury performance cars and their engines mean that they are the next category of car that needs to use this fuel. This category includes BMWs, Mercedes, Range Rovers, and we will reluctantly add, Subarus to this list. So that is our second category.

The third category is interesting because it is broader: all car models between 2005 and 2021. These models have newer engines that actually need Shell V-Power: they are smaller than their predecessors, and much more efficient. It also means they are more prone to damage, and require the enhanced properties of Shell V-Power in terms of performance and engine maintenance.     

I thought back to by large, clunky, but still graceful 2001 Ford – ah well. She’s functional, Felicity – gets me around the city when I decide the traffic is not too bad, and requires some painful repairs now and then (and yes, of course I name my car. Doesn’t everyone?). Of course, because Shell V-Power has additional lubrication and coolant properties, as well as cleansing properties that prevent the build-up of debris around engine parts. By offering additional protection to your engine in terms of ingredients that improve lubrication, enable cooling, and prevent the build-up of debris, Shell V-Power is beneficial to all cars.

There’s more, and here’s where it becomes more interesting – if you are going to do some highway driving, say that delightful expressway to Entebbe, or the equally scenic Kayunga Highway to Jinja, you will want to use Shells V-Power. Your engine will run smoother, with enhanced performance, and if you are keeping your eye on the gauge, you will notice your fuel consumption is slower – like say 20% slower. At high speeds, engines experience higher revolutions and frequencies. To maximize the performance of the engine, and to protect the engine, you need to use an enhanced fuel. So that’s a fourth category – an all-inclusive one.

There is another category of vehicles that should and does use Shell V-Power. In fact, they form a high-volume percentage of Shell customers for that particular type of fuel at Shell Lugugo.

Boda bodas.

Gosh darn it! I actually exclaimed at this point (I love this expression – it appeals to the inner hillbilly in me and infuriates certain folks so I always keep it handy).

Jackson ignored my exclamation and continued with his patient and simultaneously enthusiastic explanation. The boda boda engine is small, compact, intricate spark ignition engine. Gasoline Car modes between 2005 to-date, have smaller and compact spark ignition engines with high level output. Your performance car, your BMW and Mercedes, all have powerful, compact, intricate spark ignition engines. These engines require a fuel that has been designed to enhance performance, and to protect the engine in terms of lubrication and cooling.

And it might sound strange to you, but all these benefits really enhance the performance and fuel consumption for boda boda engines. No one is as interested in fuel economy, and engine maintenance as your average boda boda. And that tiny little engine maximizes the benefits of Shell V-Power, and so they line up like eager voters at Shell Lugogo.

That tiny spark ignition engine of theirs actually performs better on Shell V-Power – and yes, I remember thinking it a little odd that my Safe Boda chap will stop at a Shell petrol station and ask for Shell V-Power, but it is something I have often brushed aside. They actually save money because Shell V-Power helps the engine perform better, getting more kilometers out of a litre, and protects their engines, which mean fewer trips to those little roadside shacks they like to call “the garage”.

In conclusion, all vehicles benefit from using Shell V-Power, because it offers performance enhancement and engine protection. In the back of my mind, the numbers were actually adding up as to why Shell has a specialty petrol brand.

The Technical Side of Things

Often, you will come across technical terms when having this sort of discussion about engines and fuels and stuff. For instance, differentiation, additivation, Octane, the list can be mind-boggling. To get a grasp of these terms, it is important to understand the way the car industry works. Industry manufacturers of cars like BMW and Mercedes, or even the later models of ordinary cars like models between 2005 and 2022 actually collaborate with fuel companies like Shell in designing the fuels with properties that work best with their engines. It is not an accidental process.

Differentiation is the extension of the product portfolio to overcome the challenges to these customer specific needs. Additivation ensures more efficiency and performance enhancing formulations for car engines in terms of performance, fuel economy and protection of the engine.

Typically, spark ignition engines face three challenges: engine deposits, friction and uncontrolled combustion (knock).

By blending performance additives with base fuels, Shell V-Power is designed to tackle these challenges, and even more. Fuel additive packages contain hydrocarbon solvents and other components designed to impart specific functional properties to the fuel, covering aspects like lubrication and even coolant properties within the fuel.

For someone whose Ford engine often over heats, this was particularly interesting information. By collaborating with car manufacturers, they have managed to come up with fuel products that guarantee unmatched efficiency and performance.

I looked up Octane. It is used in fuel to enable higher compression ratios, turbocharging, and downsizing/downspeeding — all of which enable greater engine efficiencies and higher performance. Shell V- Power Octane levels are the highest in the country – 95. The highest you will get in regular fuel is 93. The simple summary to derive from this is that is good for your engine.

I left Jackson doing a quality check at Shell Lugogo – the pickup truck he drives is essentially a mobile lab that he uses for such purposes, as the Quality Manager at Vivo Energy. I left with a much clearer idea about why everyone would really benefit, in various ways, by using Shell V-Power.

Summary:

Which brand offers differentiated fuels in Uganda? Shell.

What differentiated fuel brand do they offer? Shell V Power.

What does Shell V Power do for cars?

• Improves performance, in terms of power and mileage per liter of fuel.
• Protects car engines, because it enables improved lubrication, has an active coolant, and limits the collection of harmful deposits and corrosion around engine parts.

Who benefits the most from using Shell V Power?

• All car models between 2005 and 2022.
• Performance cars like BMWs, Mercedes, Subarus, and race cars
• Any car that is going to do highway driving.
• Boda bodas
• Any car – its protection properties benefit all models, including those before 2005.