EV LUBRICANTS
oil because over time it oxidizes, you get a lot
of dirt particles and so on.”
Product diversifi cation and development are
key, and data makes the process much more
streamlined. “We’ve got access to big data and
artifi cial intelligence too, so we can look at
chemical composition versus fuel performance
correlations,” says Gunsel. “And when it comes
to simulations we are doing a lot of modelling
work. It starts with that modelling work and
physical experimentation too, but the
modelling allows us to shortcut a lot of this
development. This is a big trend in technology
management work.”
The advent of e-fl uids could, perhaps, mean
rather less waste oil in the future. Old oil,
which has degraded through use, is a problem
64 // January 2020 // www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com
MOBIL EV
Just like Shell, ExxonMobil has also
been investing time and money in
a new range of lubricants aimed at
meeting the growing demand for
EVs. Mobil EV is a suite of products
that have been carefully developed
to meet the tolerances in electric
motors, transmissions and running
gear that go to make up a batterypowered
vehicle. ExxonMobil has also
partnered with Porsche in Formula E
racing, a series that is now well known
as a proving ground for new products.
Formula E is likely to see more interest
from e-lubricant manufacturers as it
evolves, particularly because it allows
companies to try innovations before
they reach the mainstream market.
that doesn’t go away as quickly as the vehicles
that used it. Shell maintains that it is on course
to cut its carbon footprint by “around half by
2050”. In response to changing needs the oil
giant created its New Energies business in
2016, which currently involves the company
investing between $1bn and $2bn a year on
alternative fuel and power development and
projects until 2020.
The focus is clear: new fuels and power.
Shell says that new fuels will revolve around
hydrogen, biofuels and electric vehicle
charging. While production of all three will
still put a strain on our increasingly fragile
planet, the sight of oil spots on the road might
one day be a thing of the past.
with the new materials. However, rather than
being created from scratch, in the case of Shell
the new products are based on what has been
done before.
“Shell has been doing product development
of lubricants since the 1920s,” says Gunsel.
“We have a lot of history on what works in a
given application and experience in diff erent
areas; a hydraulic system is diff erent to an
engine and a electric vehicle is diff erent again.
So we have a lot of background information,
we have that understanding of how molecules
work between rubbing surfaces. We are using
all of that history and adapting it for new
operating conditions and materials.”
And yet still, after years of producing
products such as fuel and engine oils that
eff ectively get burned, the need for these new
e-lubricants is tiny by comparison. A lot of
components in EVs are sealed units that
basically need very little maintenance
until they reach end of life. “That’s
absolutely true,” Gunsel agrees.
“Lubricants for electric cars have sealed
systems, which unfortunately for us
is diff erent to our current factory
refi ll and aftermarket business
model. We all have to change our
4. The all-electric
Formula E race series
is helping to push EV
development along
with many of the world’s
biggest automotive
OEMs involved, including
Porsche which has
ExxonMobil as one of
its technical partners
4
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