Castrol has announced a new ‘Hybrid Horizons’ virtual business conference to explore the future of hybrid mobility

Castrol says ‘Hybrid Horizons’ will be a groundbreaking virtual conference focusing on the innovations, insights and emerging opportunities shaping the evolution of hybrid vehicles.
The free-to-join conference will run from 25 February to 1 March 2025, and is available for selected Castrol customers globally.
It will feature contributions from leading authorities in hybrid technology, including representatives from major vehicle manufacturers, technology firms and top-tier motorsport teams.
Castrol says this carefully curated event will connect diverse audiences, from workshop owners to OEM strategists, sharing insights and expertise that will help drive hybrid mobility forward.
The conference will kick off on 25 February with a live session hosted from Audi’s state-of-the-art facility for the Formula 1 project in Neuburg, Germany, offering a behind-the-scenes sneak peek into the brand’s power unit development.
Participants will then have online access to a comprehensive array of valuable on-demand conference content, available until 1 March 2025, which will include panel discussions, round tables and new market insights, allowing participants to build their own unique ‘playlist’ of conference sessions and materials most relevant to them.
Castrol is hosting the conference as part of its global hybrid product development strategy.
Last year, the company launched HYSPEC, a new technical standard for its range of engine oils for hybrid vehicles.
Castrol says HYSPEC is a new benchmark for measuring the performance(1) of Castrol’s engine oils for hybrids across the critical areas of contaminants, engine intermittency and system efficiency.
Castrol Brand and Product Manager for Australia and New Zealand, Jan Willink, described the conference as a unique opportunity for attendees to hear from industry leaders who are helping to drive the future of hybrid mobility.
“At Castrol, we are committed to ensuring our customers are well-informed and across emerging industry developments that could impact their business,” Jan said.
“‘Hybrid Horizons’ is a testament to this commitment and will provide attendees with unparalleled insight on hybrid technology from those who are shaping the future of the industry.
“Whether it is hearing from OEM’s, elite motorsport teams, or Castrol’s own expert technologists, the innovative customisable agenda is intended to entertain and most importantly, inform.”
The content ‘playlist’ for the virtual conference will be spread across four distinct zones: Insight, Innovation, Tech and Motorsport. Notable sessions and topic areas will include:
• An exclusive tour of Audi’s Formula 1 facility in Neuburg and an introduction to the people shaping power unit development.
• How a changing global regulatory landscape may influence the future development of hybrid technologies.
• How social media can be employed most effectively to inform and guide hybrid audiences.
• How Gen Z and women view the future of mobility, and the priority areas for them.
Castrol states it has spent more than 25 years researching, testing, and reporting on the characteristics of hybrids, as well as conducting a year-long road trial using mild, full, and plug-in hybrids to capture over two billion pieces of data.
Combined, the cars travelled over 300,000 kms for more than 7,000 hours – the equivalent of driving 24/7 for more than 42 weeks.
Additionally, Castrol has worked closely with vehicle manufacturers to develop hybrid testing techniques to enable them to constantly refine their vehicles and improve performance, and has also worked closely with motorsport teams to test engine oils under the toughest conditions.
To validate its findings for HYSPEC, Castrol commissioned a third-party consultancy and external experts to conduct research with service centres, fleet operators and car owners to deliver a wider perspective on global markets.
The launch of Castrol’s HYSPEC standard comes at a time when the demand for hybrid technology continues to grow – by 2025, a quarter of cars sold globally are expected to have a hybrid powertrain(2).
As such, Castrol says its HYSPEC standard will support both car workshops and their customers in identifying the most suitable Castrol engine oil for their hybrid car.
While Castrol’s portfolio already includes many hybrid-ready engine oils, the company explains that those badged with the new HYSPEC logo demonstrate at least 25 percent(1) benefit against the HYSPEC standard, across the critical areas of contaminants, engine intermittency and system efficiency.

For more information, please visit www.castrol.com

1. Compared to minimum requirements set in industry specification and Castrol bespoke testing relevant to hybrid vehicle types, covering contaminants, engine intermittency and system efficiency.
2. As per predictions from LMC Automotive, a GlobalData company, 2023.