Energy Horizon - Season 1 - Episode 2 - The Regeneration Race
Energy Horizon - Season 1 - Episode 2
The Regeneration Race
Energy Horizon
Our partnership with CNBC is reinventing itself to bring to life our new series, “Energy Horizon,” an inspiring and optimistic vision of TotalEnergies' role in the energy challenges of today and tomorrow. Through powerful, human stories rooted in the field, each episode takes you to the four corners of the globe to discover the solutions and innovations embodied by the men and women of the Company working to drive the energy transition.
In this second episode of Energy Horizon, Arthur Jury, Global Passenger Car Motor Oil Market Manager at TotalEnergies Lubricants, introduces us to Quartz EV3R, an innovative regenerated engine oil range that gives new life to used oils. From its regeneration in Finland to its blending in Belgium, all the way to its use under real-world conditions alongside Peugeot Sport.
Arthur Jury, Global passenger Car Motor Oil Market Manager, TotalEnergies
I have a lifelong passion for Motorsports.
For me, car performance and the technology behind it have always been fascinating.
It's really begin with my grandfather because he took me out when I was really kid to watch some Formula one events, rallies and I'm still huge fan, but the cars I watched then and the cars on the grid today are totally different.
Every component inside those engines has been redesigned, refined and reimagined.
And that precision doesn't stay on the track, it filters down into every car on every road.
Today, my lifelong passion and my work come together to help innovations that enhance the performance and sustainability of mobility for the next generation.
[Energy Horizon : The regeneration race]
[Finland]
Arthur Jury
Engine oil is not something that people think about, but it's really essential for every car because without engine oil the engine will stop and break in a few seconds.
Every year the world is using over 15 million tons of engine oil and roughly half of it is becoming waste oil.
[15 million tons of engine oil]
[Approximately 50% becomes waste]
That's where technology plants like Tecoil comes in.
[Tecoil Plant, Hamina, Finland]
Jussi Vakkuri, Managing director Tecoil Plant, TotalEnergies
Welcome! At Tecoil. We collect used oil from across Europe and bring it to here to our refinery in Hamina. We remove the impurities from its past life and regenerate it back to the high quality base oil.
We can do this several times and it's fully comparable with the virgin high quality base oils.
[Regeneration is a circular process that restores used base oil]
Arthur Jury
How much base oil do you regenerate?
Jussi Vakkuri
We produce approximately 47,000 tons of regenerated base oil per year.
[Produces approximately 47,000 tons of regeneration base oil annually]
What makes our regeneration process less carbon intensive is that we use green hydrogen in our process and this electricity is produced by the nearby wind turbines.
[Process uses on-site generated green hydrogen]
The same wind power also electrifies the plant.
We are not just filtering oil, we rebuild it at the molecular level and it didn't come from the ground, it came from your last oil change.
Next, the regenerated base oil goes to the TotalEnergies blending plant, where it's turned into the high performance engine oils, ready for use in passenger cars.
[Ertvelde Blending Plant, Belgium]
Filip Van de Vyver, Plant Manager, Ertvelde, TotalEnergies
This is where the magic happens. You can see all around you the blending tanks that we use. The regenerated based oils produced at Tecoil has to be blended with exactly the right additives to become a finished engine oil.
[TotalEnegries is a global integrated energy company that produces and markets energies (oil and biofuels, natural gas, biogas and low-carbon hydrogen, renewables and electricity) and is staying the course of its transition strategy. Learn more on totalenergies.com/energy-transition]
With the recycled oil, you get the same performance of brand new oil. Thanks to extensive laboratory and engine tests, the team ensures the end product delivers the right and the required performance.
Reuse of raw materials also contributes to the reducing of CO2 emissions compared to making oil with the new base stock.
And circularity doesn't stop at the oil, bottles or cans are made of 50% of recycled plastics.
[Approximately 50% recycled plastic]
The Quartz EV3Rr range is unique because this is a range of products which is incorporating generated basil and is approved by OEM.
The fact that we get to the recognition of the big manufacturers makes us very proud and it's a real endorsement for what we do with all our teams.
Arthur Jury
TotalEnergies and Peugeot have had the partnership for over 30 years, helping push the boundaries of automotive technology and engineering.
From engine and gearbox oils to hybrid systems, batteries and cooling tech.
[Peugeot Sport Headquarters, Versailles, France]
Emmanuel Esnault, Team principal, Team Peugeot-TotalEnergies
Motorsport competition is changing a lot. So are the energies that are making them possible. And we are committed with TotalEnergies to reduce the environmental impact from racing.
This goal has become an important aspect of the motorsport evolution.
So we have here engine dynos where we are testing how the oil is performing inside the running engine and we have onsite labs during our races to analyse how the oil is performing inside the car.
Arthur Jury
But this is only the beginning. The fact that we are at the early stage of developing regenerated oil for motor stocks excites the kid in me who first fell in love with racing all those years ago.
The race for innovation never stands still.
[TotalEnergies logo]
Quartz EV3R: an innovative engine oil range made from regenerated oils
Engine oil is essential for every car: it reduces friction, protects all moving parts, controls temperature, and keeps the engine clean—ensuring efficient operation and optimal performance.
Each year, the world consumes more than 15 million tonnes of engine oil, and around half ultimately becomes used oil that is not reused, resulting in millions of tonnes of waste.
In 2025, TotalEnergies is innovating with the launch of Quartz EV3R, its first premium lubricant range designed using high-quality regenerated oils that meet the demanding standards of the automotive industry.
The development of Quartz EV3R is based on the “3R” concept: “Reduce, Reuse, Regenerate”:
- Reduce the use of virgin base oil and limit waste;
- Reuse existing resources to promote circular economy;
- Regenerate performing(1) engine oil from used motor oils.
(1) Compared to Quartz 7000 10W-40 showcasing the same technical profile. ↑
A cutting-edge regeneration technology
In Finland, at the Tecoil site—a Finnish company specializing in the production of Re-refined Base Oils (RRBO) acquired by TotalEnergies in 2024—the Company relies on cutting-edge regeneration technology to recover and process used oils collected across Europe.
Purified and rebuilt at the molecular level, these oils regain the properties of high quality virgin base oils.
A leader in this technology for over ten years, the site regenerates around 47,000 tonnes of used oil each year. The process relies on precision chemistry and low carbon solutions, notably the use of green hydrogen and electricity generated from wind power, which also supplies the plant.
The regenerated base oils are then sent to a TotalEnergies lubricant production facility in Ertvelde, Belgium, where they are blended with carefully dosed additives to produce lubricants that deliver performance equivalent to conventional oils, while reducing their environmental footprint.
Once the blend is finalized, the oil is packaged in containers made from approximately 50% recycled plastic(2).
(2) The 1L and 5L packaging is made from 50% recycled plastic, excluding the cap and label. ↑
Motorsport: a testing ground for our engine oils
For more than 45 years, TotalEnergies has been involved in motorsports, achieving hundreds of victories. To cope with the extreme conditions of these disciplines, the Company’s engineers have developed cutting-edge technology ensuring optimal performance and reliability. Because we view competition as our laboratory, the same engineers are behind the development of our QUARTZ lubricant range.
TotalEnergies and Peugeot have maintained a partnership for over 30 years, pushing the boundaries of automotive technology and engineering together, with the ambition of reducing the environmental impact of motorsport.
TotalEnergies’ high-technology lubricants, specifically designed for the extreme demands of endurance racing, have helped ensure consistent performance and reliability for Peugeot Sport over the years. But this is only the beginning. We’re now pushing this regenerative know how even further, exploring new frontiers, including the world of motorsport, where performance leaves no room for compromise.Emmanuel Esnault Team Principal, Team TotalEnergies – Peugeot Sport
Energy Horizon
