Volvo Trucks delays release of its VDS-5 lubricant specification

Last year, Volvo Trucks announced its plan to release its new Volvo Trucks VDS-5 specification by mid-2020. However, according to the Union of the European Lubricant Industry (UEIL), the umbrella association of the European lubricants industry, which represents their members and, particularly, the interests of SMEs and independent lubricant companies, it has received advice from Volvo Group Lubricants Coordinator Bengt Otterholm that the release of the final version in the public domain will be delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The new release date of the final version of the new Volvo Trucks’ engine oil specification is the end of 2020.

The new Volvo VDS-5 specification will deliver 0.5% fuel economy improvements and 50% oil drain interval extensions. Phase one of the specification was completed in mid-2019, with phase two due for completion by the end of 2019. The oils were available as factory fill for 13 L Euro VI Step D engines in early 2019 and for 11 L and 13L US GHG2.1 in late 2019.

“The final release of the VDS-5 specification has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which effectively stopped the final phases of the development of the D13K4 engine test which will replace the D12D engine test in all current VDS-x specifications,” UEIL shared in an announcement today.

“Their target is to have the VDS-5 specification available in the public domain by the end of 2020,” UEIL said.

Further, Volvo Trucks’ Otterholm clarified with UEIL that:

• VDS-5 oils are only allowed for use in the most recent 13L engines (Euro VI Step D) and are not backwards compatible with any other engine.
• VDS-5 is not an exclusive requirement; all engines, including the 13L Euro VI Step D, can use VDS-4 and VDS-4.5.