Ultimate Guide to Electric Vehicle Lubricants
As the car companies slowly start to shift toward electric vehicles, the change can be felt not only within the car industry but also in other industries associated with it. For example, increased demand can have a major impact on how oil manufacturers do business.
Several years back, in 2015, only 1% of all cars sold were electric vehicles. Today, that number has increased to 4%, and it seems there is no stopping this trend. In this guide, I will talk about how electric vehicles affect lubricant manufacturers and what we can expect in the future.
The impact of electric vehicles on the US car market
Although it might seem that the US has embraced electric vehicles, especially when you analyze the increase in sales, the country is actually trailing behind Europe and other markets. Among others, this happened because the US reduced consumer and manufacturer subsidies. But, this will likely change going forward.
Under president Biden, the US Senate has decided that 50% of all new vehicles should be electric or hybrid. The car manufacturers have until 2030 to implement these changes and adapt their production facilities.
But, this is not all. The government will crackdown on vehicles with high emissions and consumption, thus forcing manufacturers to shy away from traditional models. Together with increased environmental consciousness among consumers, the old gas guzzlers will likely become a thing of the past.
We should also consider how new types of vehicles will affect overall public mobility. The majority of people commute by using their personal vehicles or public transport. However, as time goes by, it becomes increasingly harder to travel in a car. Large cities have extremely limited parking spaces, and traffic jams are commonplace.
In that regard, the overall number of cars (electric, hybrids, or traditional) purchased in the US should diminish in the following years. Some might connect this to the introduction of electric vehicles, but it will likely be caused by future transportation preferences.
What type of lubricants is used for electric cars?
As long as an engine has moving parts, it will require some sort of lubrication. This goes for cars, but also other types of engines. Although you might think that electric vehicles are completely different, given they don’t work the same,
There is a symbiosis between lubricants and vehicles; 52% of all the engine liquids produced are utilized for cars. As such, any change to car models would have a major impact on lubricant manufacturers, as well. Luckily for the oil companies, new electric and hybrid cars can utilize the same substances as their predecessors.
Although we can expect some tweaks to the existing lubricant products, this shouldn’t cause a major disturbance for manufacturers. In fact, companies such as Shell and Exxon have already developed great alternative products for these new types of engines.
Like lubricants for the traditional combustible engines, the new liquids should adhere to high lubricating oil standards. The third-party companies test them for various contaminants and additives.
Determining the purity of electric car lubricants
Speaking of standards, manufacturers rely on various standards to determine the purity of new products. This standard is nothing new, nor is it exclusive to electric vehicles; it has been around for years and years.
Companies such as ASI introduce new standards according to regulatory changes. For example, EPS standards for calibration were introduced when the EPA decided to change the sulfur percentage within gasoline. The standards are highly adaptable and reflect the newest research studies but also changes in environmental and consumer requirements.
Changes in demand
According to some experts, motor oils will continue evolving with the evolution of electric vehicles. This will affect all the players on the market, including quality standard companies but also organizations that work closely with lubricant manufacturers.
As we come closer to our ultimate goal, which is the creation of a car that works completely on electricity, other companies will also feel the impact of the change. Keep in mind that the cars in the future will have fully electric components ranging from sensors, modules, and circuits, which means that lubricants will also have to adapt to this change.
It is crucial for new oils to be compatible with all the interior parts. Among others, they should work for plastic, electric, and copper components, without causing any havoc inside the car. Keep in mind that these engines produce enormous heat, which can affect electric modules. As such, car manufacturers will also have to develop new cooling methods that would specifically tackle with this issue.