Mark Wilkes, Business Manager, Motorcycle Engine Oils: What I wanted to talk about today are some of the new emissions norms that we have coming in the motorcycle world. We have two major upgrades coming in 2020. First of all, we have Euro 5, which comes in on 1 January 2020, and then we have Bharat Stage VI, or BS VI, coming in India in April 2020.

The impact of these new emission norms is that the original equipment manufacturers, the motorcycle manufacturers, will all be looking to upgrade their hardware, and more importantly, their emission control systems, the exhaust catalysts. Given the economies of scale for manufacturing, it's very likely that these hardware changes will impact not just in the regulated regions, Europe and India, but also globally.

Meeting Euro 5 and BS VI Emission Norms

Mark: To meet the new emission norms, the OEMs will have to focus on improved combustion efficiency. They will achieve this in three ways. Firstly, through improved hardware. Secondly, through improved engine management, and control of the injection system. And thirdly, through the use of more stringent exhaust catalyst systems. Part of these changes will be moving to higher efficiency hardware. Typically, this will result in higher power densities in the engines. This can result in higher operating temperatures, and a more severe environment for the lubricant. It's very important that we keep the catalyst functioning in good condition through the lifetime of the vehicle.

Fuel economy performance is becoming more and more important in the motorcycle world. The OEMs are constantly looking for every additional kilometer per liter they can deliver from their hardware. We still need to deliver special and specific frictional profiles for good operation in the clutch, and the extreme pressure anti-wear systems that we need for the gearbox. This will require a very carefully considered formulating strategy, including the use of better quality base oils, better quality additive systems, and the use of new novel polymers to enhance the performance in areas such as shear stability, to deliver that better balance between durability and fuel economy performance.

Euro 5 and Bharat Stage (BS) VI Emission Standards: Part II