The International Maritime Organizations 2020 marine fuel sulfur cap is a year away from implementation, and lubricant companies must be able to offer a product portfolio that can address the entire spectrum of marine fuel scenarios. To help them meet that need, Chevron Oronite will launch two new marine cylinder and two new trunk piston engine oil additive packages as part of its marine and power generation system product range. Chevron Oronite manufactures and markets fuel and lubricant additives globally. www.oronite.com

New Malaysian Motor Oil

Kawasakis Malaysian subsidiary has launched a new range of two-wheeler lubes in partnership with Japanese petroleum company Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd. The engine oil is available in semi-synthetic and full-synthetic SAE 10W-40 formulations. The products will be available nationwide for U.S. $7.13 per liter for the semi-synthetic and $9.51 for the full-synthetic oil. www.kawasaki.com.my

Totally EV

As electric mobility shapes the automotive market, French oil major Total launched two product lines
in early December to cool and lubricate components in full electric and hybrid vehicle engines. Total Quartz
EV Fluid for light vehicles and Total Rubia EV Fluid for industrial and utility vehicles, as well as electric buses, address issues related to high rotation speeds (friction reduction and efficiency increase) and the need to control heat exchange in electric batteries. They also function in any type of electric current, prevent corrosion of copper coils and protect polymer coatings. The lubricants are available from Total and its subsidiaries in Europe, and include access to charging points at Total service stations and other charging stations across Western Europe. www.total.com

Seeking Guidance

ASTM International, the United States-based standards organization, has a new guide to help test developers evaluate a test methods capability to measure properties of lubricants and other petroleum products. The guide allows users to determine and compare the relative performance of different tests that measure the same property in a specific application and assesses if reproducibility and repeatability are adequate for its intended use. For those test methods with less than optimal precision, the responsible subcommittees would have an opportunity to investigate, suggest improvements in the procedure and design an interlaboratory study as necessary, ASTM notes. The seven-page guide is available as a PDF file or hard copy for $48 and is available to buy in the Europe, Middle east and Africa regions.www.astm.org