Buckel Farm

At the start of 2009, farmer Rainer Buckel switched the four commercial farming vehicles at his farm in the German town of Oberammersdorf from industry standard diesel fuel to Shell FuelSave Diesel*. The vehicles included a standard tractor, a Unimog for cultivation and transport work and an MB-trac for heavy-duty traction work.

Evaluation of the fuel consumption data for these various vehicles has revealed that all of them can be used for between one and four hours longer on each tank of fuel when they run on Shell FuelSave Diesel*. Given the frequently changing loads and conditions under which the vehicles are operated, this demonstrates the efficiency of Shell FuelSave Diesel* when used regularly in commercial farming vehicles:

• On average, an additional 2.5 hours of operation per tank of fuel, therefore extending refuelling intervals
• Considerable reduction in fuel consumption
• Steady engine performance under various conditions
• Shell FuelSave Diesel* has also been designed to help:
• Keep injection systems clean, which helps to reduce maintenance costs
• Protect the engine from corrosion
• Spread across the entire fleet, this could result in:
• An annual fuel saving of approx. 1,514 litres¹
• A reduction in C02 emissions of approx. 3,982 kg - this is roughly equivalent to the amount of C02 emissions produced annually by one passenger car²

_{*Refers to Shell Diesel with fuel economy formula. Brand name may vary per country. Known as New Shell Diesel, Shell Diesel Extra and New Shell Diesoline Ultra in other markels.}

_{¹ Based on the average distance travelled in a year by the 4 vehicle agricultural fleet at the Buckel farm.}

_{² Assumes 1 litre of diesel burns to produce approx. 2.63 kg of CO2. See the "Shell Car Scenarios up to 2030" study.}

Interview with Rainer Buckel,owner of a family farm in the German town of Oberammersdorf.

How did you become aware of Shell FuelSave Diesel?

Shell's Branded Reseller, Geiger GmbH from Ansbach, first recommended that we try Shell FuelSave Diesel at the start of 2009. As we have enjoyed a very close relationship of trust with Geiger for many years, we were, of course, willing to try out the product. And very quickly we noticed that all of the machines on our farm can run for much longer on this fuel, operating, on average, for 2.5 hours longer on each tank of fuel.

Have you noticed any other positive effects since you have been using Shell FuelSave Diesel as fuel?

In addition to the fuel saving, the benefits are primarily the steady engine performance in various weather and soil conditions and longer maintenance intervals. And this is crucial for the reliability of our machines.Since we have been using Shell FuelSave Diesel, all of our machines have been operating for much longer on each tank of fuel - and all with a first engine. To this extent, this is a clear boost in efficiency.

Is fuel efficiency an important topic in farming as well then?

Of course. Although with 70 dairy cows we tend to focus on litres of milk rather than fuel, ultimately more operating hours per tank of fuel mean a tangible saving in terms of money. With our standard tractor, which operates for around 1,000 hours a year, the fuel saving delivered by Shell FuelSave Diesel accounts for 40 to 80 hours that we are able to operate for longer each year. This does pay a dividend.

Your final verdict on Shell FuelSave Diesel?

We are very satisfied. In particular, we are convinced by the very good value for money that Shell FuelSave Diesel offers. And the fact that, as well as fuel, we can also save C02 emmissions is, of course, all the better.

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