Castrol has developed a cartridge system to make changing the oil an filter in a car a simpler task that could be carried out by anyone, without specialist facilities or knowledge. The cartridge, known as Nexcel, contains an oil filter and all of the lubricating oil necessary for the engine of the vehicle to which it is fitted. The owner simply removes the old cartridge and replaces this with a new one which, according to Castrol, takes a total of 90 seconds.
This product has the potential to revolutionise one of the most important service items required to keep an internal combustion engine running efficiently and also to maximise the like of engine. As well as enabling quick and easy servicing, this system has the potential to provide a solution to the issue of collecting used oil for reprocessing.
This approach could be applied to other aspects of product maintenance, designing-in accessible components which could help to manage complex and difficult service tasks, allowing users to take good care of their possessions.
It is important to examine the full impact of any solution that claims to offer significant environmental benefits. Whilst this system would make reprocessing easier and more likely, it may demand a greater level of technical complexity than existing solutions. This has the potential to negate the environmental benefits as more parts demand more resources. However, when considered from an enabling perspective alone, this system is likely to encourage non-expert owners to engage with servicing their own vehicles.
Gordon Young 