A "historic" subcategory may help with backward compatibility on older engines. "We're still undecided [as to] whether to refer to these new oils as something different. We want to avoid confusing the marketplace," says Gault.

The Growth of Biodiesel

PC-11 also will be the first time that testing with ">biodiesel blends will be required for heavy engine oils. "Biodiesel utilization is going up, and there will potentially be a lot of biodiesel in the field in 2016," says EMA's Gault. "We may have to consider the interactions between these different fuels and lubricant in the engine, and our friends in Europe have even looked at biodiesel being directly spiked into the engine oil."

"[There are no tests in CJ-4] that require you to run biodiesel as part of testing qualification," says Shell's Arcy. "So in the next category, there will be the addition of biodiesel to the testing sequence. Some engine tests we will have to run to qualify will have to run on biodiesel." While the details have yet to be worked out, Arcy expects PC-11 will involve tests using B20 blends, or 20% biodiesel.

The development of PC-11 also allows for lubricant makers to improve existing tests in the CJ-4 standard. Many newer diesel engines operate at higher temperatures—with higher pressures inside the cylinders than in earlier models—to limit emissions. PC-11 is expected to test new lubricants under these harsher conditions, looking at oxidation stability, aeration, shear stability and adhesive wear.

The deadline is set for 2016. At the moment, however, the full scope of the PC-11 tests is still being defined. "The milestones are a little fuzzy right now," says EMA's Gault. "We'll know a whole lot more by the end of the year."