Shell V-Power is the brand name given to Shell's enhanced high specification fuels for road motor vehicles including Shell V-Power Nitro+ and Shell V-Power Diesel. Introduced in Italy in 2001, Shell relaunched the fuel in March 2008, under the name Nitrogen-Enriched Shell V-Power, with nitrogen-containing detergents.
Shell petrol station in Hong Kong displaying the "V-Power" brand, pictured in 2009
V-Power barrels for the Scuderia Ferrari at the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix
An Audi R10 TDI LMP race car, fueled on Shell V-Power Diesel
An octane rating, or octane number, is a standard measure of a fuel's ability to withstand compression in an internal combustion engine without undergoing pre-ignition. The higher the octane number, the more compression the fuel can withstand before detonating. Octane rating does not relate directly to the power output or the energy content of the fuel per unit mass or volume, but simply indicates gasoline's resistance to detonating under pressure without a spark.
A US gasoline station pump offering five different (R+M)/2 octane ratings
Gas stations have gasoline with different octane ratings. Higher numbers indicate that the fuel can better avoid unintended combustions within pistons.
A 1940s US propaganda poster using the term "octane" to emphasise power.
