TORONTO – To meet the expected greenhouse gas/fuel efficiency standards the federal government is in the process of developing, oil companies and engine makers have been busy developing a new standard for engine oils that will provide a new type of lower-viscosity oil to improve engine efficiency.

The new API (American Petroleum Institute) category, being called PC-11 during the development process, will be the standard for a new generation of low-viscosity engine oils, which on-highway engine manufacturers will use as part of their EPA 2017 GHG reduction strategies.

And the next generation of heavy duty engine oils will have two subcategories: a standard backward compatible HTHS 15W-40, 10W-30, or 5W-30 for older engines (aka PC-11a), and a low-HTHS viscosity category for the newer fuel-efficient, low carbon-dioxide-emission engines coming in 2016 (also known as PC-11b).