Im guessing that some of you have heard about Castrol Nexcel. For the rest of you, Nexcel is a new way to change your oil and filter – an all-in-one package with no muss or fuss. Now being demod on a $2.3 million track-only supercar, Castrol says the concept could see wider commercial adoption in five years. Sounds too good to be true to some and like the beginning of the end to others. Lets dig into this story and see what it says about oil, engines, DIY, DIFM and a lot of other issues.

Seen under the hood of Aston Martins Vulcan, the Nexcel unit looks a lot like a battery. The module clips into a holder and hooks to the engines oiling system through a pair of quick-disconnect lines. Thats it. When an oil change is needed, just yank the whole thing out and drop in a new one. Takes 90 seconds.

The Nexcel project started about three years ago, and the Castrol and Aston Martin folks like to say it is a true plug and play system. Another expression theyre fond of is super-fast, clean and green.

I have to admit that a system with oil and a filter in a neat package sure sounds nice. As Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer pointed out when the system was unveiled in October, there is no more crawling under the car and getting oil all over yourself or messing up the drain plug – thats all gone, along with the problem of disposing of the used oil.

Of course, questions immediately come to mind: Is there a retrofit setup for existing cars and light trucks? Sadly, there is not at this time. Nexcels chief engineer Oliver Taylor says its only intended to be designed into the engine platforms of new vehicles. So no retros – yet! (Im thinking that someone out there will study this rig and figure out how to create an aftermarket version.)

With Nexcel installed, would you still need a typical dipstick to check the engine oil level? Taylor notes that Nexcel has an electronic oil level sensor built in, so the engine will no longer require a dipstick. The sensors output is ordinarily sent to the vehicle dashboard. An additional idiot light will be on the in-car screen or panel, so the oil level can be checked without even getting out of the car. That could solve a lot of problems, given that most motorists dont check their oil levels!

If an engine runs low on oil, would it still be possible to add makeup oil via an oil fill tube as with most current engines? Taylors response is that the system is sealed. This is because Nexcel is optimized for each engines needs at the design stage. He further states that this includes consideration of the oil consumption over the drain interval (no small order there). Taylor says that, generally, the need for makeup oil has been decreasing for many years with the aim to control the exhaust emissions from the vehicle. However, the system has an emergency back-up unit that can deliver additional oil as required. This happens through the electronics in the Nexcel system. Seems to me like this is getting to be pretty complex.

Another question that came to mind was whether the Nexcel system is universal or whether there will be specific adaptations for different vehicles. From a business perspective, Taylor concurs that a universal unit would be preferred due to economies of scale. However, it likely will have to be tailored to each vehicle make and model, and that means working with OEMs during early design to find the best solution possible. My thought is that differences in oil system capacity might make it tough to universalize the electronics, but the hardware could be pretty uniform.

I noted that, while it is a few years away, there is going to be a significant impact on the quick oil change industry, and I asked Castrol and its Nexcel team if they have given thought to that.

A Nexcel spokesperson said that before moving forward with the idea, they spoke to professionals from all areas of the oil change industry. They discussed the benefits of a modular system and discussed the impact on the industry. The folks they spoke with saw many advantages. In fact, in terms of the quick oil change culture here in the U.S., some contacts thought the Nexcel system could be an advantage. Hows that, you ask? Because by making oil changes even quicker, technicians would have more time to perform other operations, giving workshops the opportunity to offer additional services and widen their competitive landscape.

To me, the Nexcel unit looks somewhat like a dry sump system such as that used on racing engines (e.g. Indy cars). Does the system eliminate the need for a crankcase? Taylors answer is, Simply put, cars which currently have a dry sump will take the dry sump version; cars which currently have a wet sump will adopt the wet sump version.

I then asked if the crankcase can be totally eliminated. I was thinking in terms of oil, but Taylor reminded that the crankcase performs a vital role in the engine: housing the crankshaft and connecting rod assemblies.

In an introductory video, Castrol bragged about three pluses for consumers:

1. Convenience. No question here. It is obvious that a drop-in system is a no-brainer for almost any application. As Castrol pointed out, in addition to a 90-second oil change, it is cleaner and safer without a drop of oil being wasted.

2. Fuel economy. Castrol claims that CO2 improvements come through a variety of factors. First is thermal management. The Nexcel system ensures that just the right amount of oil is released into the engine, reducing warm up time and increasing efficiency.

Another is what Castrol calls precision lubrication, which allows the oil and system to be tailored to a specific engine and therefore to perform most efficiently. The oil-and-engine match is guaranteed every time, via a microchip embedded in the cell that provides a digital handshake between the Nexcel unit and the vehicles engine.

3. Environmental. Certainly a modular unit could vastly improve the handling of used oil. I asked if the oil cells are reusable or meant for one-time use followed by disposal. Castrol says the cells are designed to be reusable. When they are removed from a vehicle during servicing, they can be returned to Nexcel for cleaning. Once restored to their original condition, they will be available for reuse. (Well, why not? It works for inkjet printer cartridges and propane tanks.)

By collecting the spent oil cells and the engine oil contained within them, folks at Castrol say contamination and waste of used oil is avoided. They point out that large quantities of used oil are disposed of by wasteful means including through burning, which has negative implications for the environment. By contrast, the Nexcel system allows used engine oil to be rerefined back into high quality base oils. The company claims that, if Nexcel were fitted onto every car in the world today and recycled this way, it would save more than 200,000 road tankers of virgin oil every year. Assuming 6,000 gallons per tanker, thats 1.2 billion gallons or over 28 million barrels of oil.

Stating the obvious, OEMs surely would be in favor of such a system. I wanted to know who, besides Aston-Martin, has been involved with evaluating Nexcel. Castrols response was that, while they are also in discussions with several other vehicle manufacturers, Aston Martin has worked closely with them to develop the technology for the Vulcan. Its an excellent proving ground due to the extreme test conditions the system faces.

Only 24 Vulcans were made last year (and only three sold in the U.S.), so sightings are going to be rare. If you are wondering about the timeline for general introduction of Nexcel, Castrol is hoping to see the system installed in high performance road car applications by 2020, and then on mass production vehicles by 2025. This timeline is largely driven by product development timelines and marks a normal adoption rate for many comparable new technologies.

Sounds like a good deal to me and perhaps to some portions of the do-it-for-me market, such as auto dealerships and high-end repair shops. It may mean a big change in fast oil change operations and could lead to the demise of some of them.

For the do-it-yourselfer, it sounds easy, clean and fast – but the cost per charge may be daunting. First, well need to establish a retail network for buying these bulky modules, as well as channels for disposing of them responsibly. Should each unit require a cash deposit, to encourage returns?

The fact that each Nexcel unit will be mated to a specific vehicle could be a potential mish-mash of wrong oils in vehicles, and maybe a cell that doesnt fit properly. Still, I suspect that in a few years it and various look-alikes will be available for your new, autonomous vehicle. But I digress…

Industry consultant Steve Swedberg has over 40 years experience in lubricants, most notably with Pennzoil and Chevron Oronite. He is a longtime member of the American Chemical Society and SAE International, where he was chairman of Technical Committee 1 on automotive engine oils. He can be reached at steveswedberg@cox.net.