麻豆传媒

Key Takeaways

Faced with the difficult task of meeting increasingly strict sustainability targets, industrial businesses are looking to electrification as a way of decarbonising their fleets. However, concerns around performance and efficiency are still barriers that create a challenge for leaders looking to make the case for bringing EVs into their operations.

The efficiency and performance of each vehicle is critical. And the fill-for-life performance of e-fluids and e-greases offer an effective way to enhance the output of evolving battery technology. As well as preventing breakdowns that cause downtime, these specialised fluids extend component life and support rapid charging.

They help businesses to drive the performance and efficiency of their electrified equipment 鈥� enabling them to make the business case for electrification and support their decarbonisation efforts.

An example of this can be seen in the latest generation of EVs. OEMs are combining the cooling system of the electric motor with the lubrication system of the gearbox to downsize and optimise hardware components. And this is only possible using specially designed transmission fluids.

鈥淔rom better thermal management that enables high-speed charging to more effective electric motors, e-fluids and e-greases are integral to driving performance and efficiency while extending component lifetime,鈥� says Dobrowolski. 鈥淎ll of which makes e-mobility more attractive to end-user businesses.鈥�

In much the same way that premium engine oils make a significant difference to internal combustion engine (ICE) systems, e-fluids and e-greases are more than just a way to keep components running smoothly. There are three lubricant groups that work together to drive the efficiency of an EV鈥檚 electrified components:

• E-transmission fluids
  
  These fluids include transmission oils that protect the bearings and gears in a gearbox, as well as cooling electric motors. With more OEMs integrating electric motors into their gearboxes, e-fluids need to be compatible with both 鈥� lubricating the metal surfaces while providing efficient thermal management of the motor.
  
  
• E-thermal fluids
  
  These are liquids designed for immersive battery cooling. Dielectric fluids that are compatible with direct contact with a battery cell, they provide more effective heat transfer and electrical insulation than indirect cooling systems. This supports ultra-fast charging by effectively controlling the temperature of each individual cell, offering greater protection and performance 鈥� including longer lifetime and superior safety as compared to conventional side wall cooling methods.
  
  
• E-greases
  
  With electric motors running at incredibly high speeds, they need protection from the friction and wear this can cause. It鈥檚 also important to insulate the bearings in the motor from electrical currents that can lead to critical failures. This is where e-greases play a vital role, protecting and insulating components to keep them running optimally.

In addition to providing protection and driving efficiency, these fluids are designed to deliver the highest possible compatibility with sensitive electrified components.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just apply any kind of transmission fluid, for example,鈥� says Dobrowolski. 鈥淵ou really need to consider the whole chemical system of the lubricant. By reformulating it, you can make sure that it keeps a vehicle running effectively throughout its lifetime.鈥�

E-fluids can even contribute to the ongoing development of the EV hardware, with e-thermal fluids providing an effective example of how this can work.

鈥淲hen looking at improving the next generation of EVs, a key focus area is reduced charging times,鈥� says Dobrowolski. 鈥淐ustomers want to spend less time charging their vehicles and they want to extend the range of their vehicles. To do that, you could increase the battery capacity, but that only adds more weight to the vehicle.鈥�

Not only are heavier vehicles likely to be less efficient when in operation, the batteries themselves will take longer to charge 鈥� potentially increasing downtime. Instead, Dobrowolski highlights how e-thermal fluids can help to deliver a more effective solution.

鈥淚f you have a better way to keep the battery system cool through more efficient heat transfer, you can push it further in terms of performance and charging,鈥� he explains. 鈥淭his means you can design a more compact 鈥� yet still more efficient 鈥� battery. This saves weight, delivers higher ranges and helps businesses to charge their vehicles more quickly.鈥�

This can be critical for long haul distance travelling, either for passenger cars or heavy-duty electric vehicles, where rapid charging will be essential in extending their range without the need for additional enforced stops at charging points.

Partnerships with cutting-edge OEMs are helping to accelerate the uptake of lubricant technologies like e-thermal fluids for EVs.

鈥淲e have partnered up with companies like Kreisel Electric, one of the technology leaders in this space 鈥� and one of the first to adopt battery immersion technologies,鈥� says Dobrowolski. 鈥淭his type of collaboration will be essential to the development of EVs. Combining our expertise in fluids with their expertise in hardware will deliver the best possible solutions when designing the next generation of batteries.鈥�

Now though, they鈥檙e able to drive an entire race with the same car. The battery might be at <1-2% capacity by that point, but it鈥檚 a huge improvement on the need to use multiple vehicles to get the job done. Obviously, the needs of a Formula-E racing car are massively different to those of vehicles in use across construction sites, farms, and mines. But the move towards more efficient hardware, supported by specialised lubricants, will look largely the same. And OEMs are already taking note.

Ultimately, by helping to extend vehicle ranges, extend component life and reduce downtime for charging, e-fluids and e-greases will contribute to efficiency and performance gains across industrial fleet operations. This helps businesses to make the case for electrification and supports the acceleration of their decarbonisation efforts.

What is immersive cooling?

Immersive direct cooling is a method of regulating temperatures in electrical components and provides a highly efficient alternative to air or other indirect cooling methods such as cold plates. It works by fully immersing the components in a thermally conductive, electrically non-conductive (dielectric) coolant to manage the heat generated by the immersed equipment when it鈥檚 in use. It is increasingly being sought after as a solution in data centres as a more efficient cooling solution for high performance computing infrastructure and in EVs to protect battery cells from the effects of ultra-fast charging and discharging, while also enabling extended range and longer battery life.

BEV / EV

Battery Electric Vehicle / Electric Vehicle

FCEV

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle

EDU

Electric Drive Unit (combination of a gear reduction set with an electric motor)

¹ _{Interact Analysis, 鈥�.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;interactanalysis.com. 2021.}