“That is the big lie. We buy the additive that Exolum recommends. But it is not worth anything, nor is it worth anything. We put the additive because people think that the additive is good”
We don’t say that the additive is “worthless” at all. Of course, neither does “the best mechanic in Spain” say it, who firmly believes that gasoline low cost it is of worse quality. The person who speaks about the convenience or not of the additive is José Rodríguez de Arellano, “the king of cheap gasoline”they assure in The Country.
In the Spanish newspaper they have interviewed Rodríguez de Arellano, CEO of Plenergya gas station company with 370 points of sale throughout Spain and which already sells about 1,700 million liters of fuel.
Obviously, Rodríguez de Arelllano’s words hit home. Asked about the convenience of using additives to improve the useful life of the engine, the company’s CEO is very clear: “if it was worth something, the leaders would have already said so.”
What do we know about additives
Whether or not it is convenient to use additives for the car or refuel at a gas station that is supposed to be of “better quality” has some truth and a lot of hope. Because, really, if the fuel we refuel has the minimum quality standards that fuel in our country must meet, there should be no problem.
What must be clear is that the gasoline we put in our tank at Plenergy or Ballenoil it is the same as if we do it at Repsol or BP. At least, it almost entirely is. As if it were a stew where everything comes from the same pot but then each cook ends up giving it their personal touch.
The origin of all the fuel consumed in Spain is in Exolum, former CHL. The fuel comes to Exolum from the refineries that BP, Repsol or moeve They are spread throughout Spain. There it is verified that the fuel has the minimum quality for sale in our country and is distributed to the different companies.
It is in this distribution where the differences begin. Exolum itself already sells fuel with and without additives. It is known as HQ300 and makes the product more expensive. “ANDIt’s the big lie. “We buy the additive that Exolum recommends.”. In his interview with The Countrythe CEO of Plenergy confirmed that they use this additive fuel and that, however, for him it made no sense and that it was a pure marketing exercise. And he continued:
“The additive is not important for the engine. What happens is that we are in a dynamic in which everyone talks about the additive. If it was of any use, the leaders would have already said so. They would have done an independent study to demonstrate that their additive allows the car to go x kilometers longer. It is the same fantasy that still exists in the country, understanding that the fuel is different, but comes out of the same tank.”
And this is where much of the secret lies. Once Exolum delivers its fuel with or without additive, it is the companies themselves that provide that chef’s touch that we were talking about. The most renowned firms (and cost for the customer) use their own additives that, they claim, improve the useful life of the engine or make the car travel more kilometers with the same amount of fuel. That is, consume less.
However, there are so many conditions When it comes to demonstrating that this really influences it, it is not entirely clear that there is a real benefit. In fact, if you go to one of the websites where the operation of the additives is explained, they will always be accompanied by a small legal text at the bottom.
Regarding longer engine life and better efficiency (BP assures that cars that use its fuels can travel 840 kilometers longer for every 13,000 kilometers traveled) On the BP website it reads the following:
*Benefits are achieved over time and may vary depending on how and what vehicle you drive.
**Claim based on continuous use over 13,000 km. Compared to basic fuels (fuels that only meet the minimum requirements established in Royal Decree 61/2006 of January 31). Benefits may vary depending on vehicle, driving style, road conditions and other factors.
The problem is that it is almost impossible to carry out studies that can be translated into practice. Fuel consumption is closely linked to driving style but also to much simpler causes such as keep the tires at the correct pressure or simply perform proper maintenance of the vehicle, which can have much more impact on fuel consumption and avoiding possible breakdowns than on the use of one fuel or another.
Everything indicates that so many kilometers would have to be traveled with so many different engines and for so long in laboratory conditions that the cost would be too high. That is why Rodríguez de Arellano assures that “the leaders” have not presented any independent study that validates the use of additives to improve the fuel that arrives from Exolum.
This last perspective was the one validated by Carles Fité, professor of Chemical Engineering, and Rodrigo Soto, reading professor of Chemical Engineering, to The Confidential. Both experts pointed out that all the gasolines they had on display had the same base and that there were no substantial differences between them that could confirm that these supposed benefits exist.
Photo | Plenergy
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