This Wednesday, Raízen officially launches a new ethanol with additives in partnership with Senna Brands, the company that manages the brand of the three-time Brazilian Formula 1 champion, in a bet that combines “technical and emotional” to triple sales of the biofuel in the next years, a company director told Reuters.
The company, licensee of the Shell brand and the largest sugarcane processor in the world, worked for four years to develop the new formula, which is exclusive to meet the needs of the Brazilian market, in Shell’s laboratory in Hamburg, Germany.
Shell V-Power Ethanol Senna is already being sold at gas stations and the expectation is to triple sales by 2030, said Raízen, without specifying volumes due to competition issues.
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The company also intends to increase the availability of the additive product at Shell brand stations by more than 170%, expanding the power of choice to more locations and mainly in regions beyond the center-south axis of the country.
Ricardo Berni, executive director of Marketing and Payment Methods at Raízen, highlights that the new additive ethanol brings exclusive technologies that clean, protect and improve the engine’s performance, helping to restore it to a state similar to that of a new one.
In addition to the FMT friction reducer, the product has detergents and dispersants that remove and protect against the build-up of deposits that impair the performance of key fuel system components such as the pump, intake valves and fuel injectors.
“When you have cleaning and friction reduction, you have much more fluid driving, and this means you consume less fuel… We understand that it will be a very strong product from a technical point of view”, he pointed out.
“We also imagine, as a secondary benefit, strengthening ethanol in the country and sustainability, ensuring that more Brazilians consume a product that is good for the car and the environment”, said the executive, evaluating that there are still “myths” about the use of ethanol related to vehicle performance and cost-benefit that the product can help demystify.
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One of the world’s largest producers of sugarcane ethanol, Raízen has been seeking to stimulate the growth of the market for biofuels and bioenergy, having recently signed a commitment to invest 11.5 billion reais in the coming years in second generation ethanol and other renewable solutions, such as biomethane.
The association with the Senna brand, strongly connected with Shell through the historic partnership with Ferrari, brings “emotion and purpose” to the new additive ethanol, highlighted Berni, remembering that the launch takes place amidst the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the driver’s legacy Brazilian, who died in May 1994 in a tragic accident at the San Marino Grand Prix.
“When you do a survey on the ‘awareness’ of national heroes, especially Brazilian athletes, Senna comes out in first place. So even for younger generations, who didn’t follow Senna racing, when you hear his name, a brand comes to mind, a legend, which symbolizes credibility, innovation”.
Bianca Senna, Ayrton’s niece and CEO of Senna Brands, highlighted that the joint launch of additive ethanol is “in line with the future vision of the Senna brand and Ayrton himself”.
“We combined our brand and Senna’s credibility with Shell’s expertise in fuel technology to jointly launch a renewable biofuel that strictly meets the pillars of performance and environmental responsibility,” she said.
(By Letícia Fucuchima)
