Castrol’s 90 Second Oil Change Technology

The typical time for briskly completed oil change, be it at a dealership or at an auto repair shop is 15 to 20 minutes. However, the use of formula one racing technology could cut that time down to 90 seconds.

Castrol says they’ve drastically lowered the time that it takes to get oil changed. The Nexcel from Castrol is an oil cell that is supposed to allow consumers to get their oil changed in 90 seconds. This type of technology is already in use in aviation, motorcycles, formula one racing, and recently by Porsche.

As seen in a YouTube video posed by Castrol, the Nexcel unit looks similar in size to a car battery and seems to fit in place under the hood of modern vehicles as the oil is changed almost instantly. This new oil change innovation would need to added to a vehicle at the design phase, meaning that consumers won’t see this technology for at least several years. The big question related the Nexcel is the cost.

How much will a Nexcel oil change cost consumers in the 2020s? If an oil change using the Nexcel costs more than $100, will consumers still want it? The Nexcel is better for the environment than standard oil changes, giving consumers the ability to more easily recycle oil. The questions related to the Nexcel are similar to those being faced with electric vehicles. EVs are better for the environment than gas powered vehicles, but despite a desire to help mother earth, how many consumers will choose their pocketbook over a higher priced environmentally friendly option? Will time prove to be the top reason for accepting a higher priced oil change?

Speaking to USA Today, Steve Goodier, project leader on the Castrol Nexcel project called the Nexcel, “a revolutionary technology that’s the most significant change in oil servicing since the introduction of the vehicle. Where the driver will see a benefit – and it’s quite significant – is time.” Speaking of time, 90 seconds is certainly not enough time for a full visual and multi-point vehicle inspection, thus the time for a full service oil change cannot occur within a minute and 20 seconds.

If a consumer changes their oil once per year, will they want to pay more money in order to save approximately 18 minutes? At what dollar point will consumers lose interest? The Nexcel is being used on the Aston Martin Vulcan supercar; will it ever become a popular option for production vehicles? Finally, will Castrol be the only company making this type of oil change system, or will consumers have more choices?