Fuel misers
DOE issues ratings for vehicles in PH market based on 280-km fuel economy run with Petron TriActiv fuels
To increase public awareness of the benefits of using cleaner and more efficient Euro 4 fuels, the Department of Energy conducted a 280-kilometer fuel economy run last May 27.
It was the DOE's twelfth annual fuel economy run, but the first using Euro 4 fuels.
So it was logical for Petron TriActiv gasoline and diesel fuels to be the official fuel of the DOE Euro 4 Fuel Economy Run, since Petron is the first oil company to locally produce a full lineup of fuels that meet Euro 4 standards.
In June 2015, Petron began producing Euro 4 fuels, six months ahead of the DOE's mandate requiring all fuels sold in the country to meet the Philippine Euro 4 standard by January 1, 2016.
Euro 4 standard fuels comply with the Clean Air Act's provision setting allowable sulfur and benzene content in gasoline and diesel fuel at 50 parts per million (ppm), which is 10 times cleaner than the previous Euro 2 fuels containing 500 ppm of these noxious chemicals.
Twenty two car companies, members of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID) supported the clean fuel initiative by fielding 70 vehicles of various body types and engine displacements.
At midnight of May 27, the eco run flagged off from Petron's Clark station in Pampanga with a driver, navigator and an independent observer (to make sure that guidelines were complied with) in each vehicle.
From Clark, the Euro 4 eco run followed a preset route of 280 kilometers in controlled conditions to the Subic-ClarkTarlac Expressway (SCTEx) and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx), then back to Clark by dawn of the same day.
Thirty-eight gasoline cars used Petron Euro 4 XCS (95RON) while 32 diesel vehicles used Petron Euro 4 Turbo Diesel.
Twenty-seven out of the 38 gasoline cars using Petron XCS achieved fuel economy ratings exceeding 20 kilometers per liter, representing 71 percent of the gasoline entries.
Meanwhile, 21 out of the 32 diesel participants or 65 percent of the entries fueled by Petron Turbp Diesel also scored over 20 km/L.
The best performer in the gasoline category was the 1.0liter Suzuki Celerio hatchback with a fuel economy rating of 29.14 km/L using Petron XCS, while the topnotcher in the diesel category was the 3.0-liter Isuzu D-Max pickup which attained an impressive 38.4 km/L using Petron Turbo Diesel.
Last month's Euro 4 fuel economy run was part of the DOE's campaign to strengthen the Philippines' energy efficiency and conservation efforts by expanding the Philippine Energy Standards and Labeling Program (PESLP) to include light duty motor vehicles.
To help make all this possible, Petron Corporation has invested US$2 billion to upgrade its Bataan Refinery and ensure the reliable production of cleaner fuels and premium fuels that meet the Euro 4 standard.
The Euro 4 fuels of Petron are specially formulated with advanced additives to deliver TriActiv benefits which are better engine protection for longer engine life, better mileage for longer drives and better power.
Petron Euro 4 TriActiv fuels are available at all 2,200 Petron service stations nationwide.
At the presentation of results ceremony at the Makati Diamond Residences on June 11, Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada said that the Euro 4 Fuel Economy Run is part of the DOE's program to promote the judicious use of energy and guide car buyers by highlighting the importance of fuel economy aside from performance, quality and safety.