A first for Jaguar TCS Racing as team runs re-refined transmission fluid in Monaco

As Official EV Fluids Partner to Jaguar TCS Racing since 2019, Castrol works with the team to co-engineer advanced EV Fluids and lubricants to realise the performance and more sustainable solutions that support the future of electric vehicle efficiency.

"The use of re-refined EV transmission fluid is a great demonstration of circularity in action on the race track and supports the wider company ambition to adopt circular economy principles so we can reduce the use of virgin materials," says Rosella Cardone, Director and Head of Sustainability Office at JLR. "We have a clear aim to achieve carbon net zero by 2039 and embed sustainability into the JLR DNA."

The motorsport test bed

Season 9 has been a testbed for Castrol, using the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 as a fast-paced laboratory to trial the comparable performance of a more circular transmission fluid. Monaco saw Castrol ON EV Transmission Fluid deployed in Formula E's pressure cooker environment, following successful testing earlier in the season in Berlin.

Waste transmission fluid taken from across Jaguar TCS Racing’s test and development activity is collected and re-refined using a technique to recover its main constituent base oil. This more circular base oil is blended with performance additives to make a fresh batch of the EV transmission fluid, which is then deployed to the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 gearbox in place of fluid containing virgin base oil.  

Proving ground for the road

Both Jaguar TCS Racing and Castrol will collect key data within the contained ecosystem to develop a technical and practical understanding of the technology and processes around more circular transmission fluid systems, with the ultimate aim of applying the learnings from the race track to road cars.

"We are immensely proud to be the first motorsport team in Formula E to deploy this circular process, by using the re-refined base oil, to a race car and set the standard for pioneering circularity within the paddock," adds James Barclay, Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal.

"In this World Championship with incredible competition, we cannot compromise on performance, so the successful use of a circular oil without compromise is a gamechanger. I believe this is a key discovery and helps us learn what is possible when pushing the boundaries of EV Fluids for the benefit future road cars."