- With a circularity-first mindset, used Castrol ON EV Transmission Fluid is collected from the I-Type 6 transmission, re-refined and blended to make a more circular EV transmission fluid
- Deployed during the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at the 2023 Monaco E-Prix, it demonstrates the capability of a more circular transmission fluid performing in a highly competitive and performance-critical environment
- The learnings can be used to help develop increasingly sustainable fluids for future cars without compromise on performance and efficiency
- Sustainable discoveries support JLR’s Reimagine strategy and the adoption of circular economy principles is key to achieving its goal to be carbon net zero by 2039
Jaguar TCS Racing and longstanding partner Castrol set the objective to test and demonstrate more sustainable solutions that also demonstrate the capabilities of circularity. As a result, re-refined Castrol ON EV Transmission Fluid was successfully used in the team’s all-electric race cars at the 2023 Monaco E-Prix. Pioneering this process at the racetrack, Jaguar TCS Racing become the first motorsport team in Formula E to claim the use of a more circular transmission fluid.
As official EV fluids partner to Jaguar TCS Racing since 2019, Castrol works with the team to co-engineer advanced EV fluids and lubricants to realise the performance and more sustainable solutions that support the future of electric vehicle efficiency.
Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has been a testbed for Castrol, using the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 as a fast-paced laboratory to trial the comparable performance of a more circular transmission fluid.
The prestigious Monaco E-Prix saw the more circular Castrol ON EV Transmission Fluid deployed in a high-performance environment, following successful testing earlier in the season in Berlin. The iconic race, with its winding streets, high-speed sections, and challenging corners, saw Jaguar TCS Racing driver Mitch Evans take his third podium of the season, and teammate Sam Bird climb six places.
Waste transmission fluid taken from across Jaguar TCS Racing’s test and development activity is collected and re-refined using a technique to recover its main constituent base oil. This more circular base oil is blended with performance additives to make a fresh batch of the EV transmission fluid, which is then deployed to the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 gearbox in place of fluid containing virgin base oil.
The successful deployment of the more circular Castrol ON EV Transmission Fluid demonstrated that a more circular transmission base oil can perform in parity to virgin base oil.
Both Jaguar TCS Racing and Castrol will collect key data within the contained ecosystem to develop a technical and practical understanding of the technology and processes around more circular transmission fluid systems, with the ultimate aim of applying the learnings from the racetrack to road cars.
Sustainability sits at the heart of JLR’s Reimagine strategy. Limiting the use of virgin materials through the adoption of circular economy principles, based on a ‘use less, use longer, use again’ philosophy, will be key in achieving the goal to become net zero by 2039.
Castrol’s PATH360 strategy embraces circular thinking and looks at the life cycle of Castrol’s existing and new products, to see how they can be improved, extended, reused or recycled.
Nicola Buck, CMO Castrol, said: “Our partnership with the Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E Team puts our range of EV Fluids to the test on the track. The performance of our more circular Castrol ON EV transmission fluid in an extreme race environment gives us and customers confidence of the high-quality and high-performance of these fluids. It helps us embrace circularity principles, which is part of our PATH360 sustainability strategy, looking at the life cycle of our products, to see how they can be improved, extended, reused or recycled.”
Rossella Cardone, Director and Head of Sustainability Office at JLR, said: “The use of re-refined EV transmission fluid is a great demonstration of circularity in action on the racetrack and supports the wider company ambition to adopt circular economy principles so we can reduce the use of virgin materials. We have a clear aim to achieve carbon net zero by 2039 and embed sustainability into the JLR DNA.”
James Barclay, Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal, said: “One of our core principles is that we race to innovate, and we share this ambition with our longstanding partner Castrol. Together we deploy innovative e-fluids and lubricants to drive efficiencies on the racetrack and to support the discovery of breakthroughs for road cars.”
“We are immensely proud to be the first motorsport team in Formula E to deploy this circular process by using the re-refined base oil in a race car and set the standard for pioneering circularity within the paddock. In this World Championship with incredible competition, we cannot compromise on performance, so the successful use of a circular oil without compromise is a gamechanger. I believe this is a key discovery and helps us learn what is possible when pushing the boundaries of EV fluids for the benefit future roadgoing cars.”
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