The impact of the development of new energy vehicles on the lubricating oil industry and countermeasures

January 27, 2024

The impact of the development of new energy vehicles on the lubricating oil industry and countermeasures

With the urgent global need for sustainability, the automotive industry is rapidly turning to new energy technologies. New energy vehicles, especially electric vehicles, are gradually becoming the mainstream of future transportation. This trend has triggered a re-examination of the demand for lubricants, as there are significant differences in the powertrain and working principle between new energy vehicles and traditional fuel vehicles.

1. Power system differences

Conventional fuel vehicles: The engines of conventional fuel vehicles rely on internal combustion engines, in which fuel is burned in the cylinder to generate power. These engines have a high demand for conventional lubricants to reduce friction, cool engine components and provide protection

New energy vehicles: Electric vehicles use batteries and electric motors, eliminating the use of internal combustion engines. Electric vehicles have a low demand for lubricants, mainly involving the lubrication of components such as motor bearings and gears

2. Temperature and environmental impact

Conventional fuel vehicles: Due to the high temperatures generated by internal combustion engines, conventional fuel vehicle lubricants need to maintain viscosity over a wide temperature range while providing oxidation and corrosion resistance

New energy vehicles: The operating temperature of electric vehicles is usually low, so the performance requirements of lubricating oil at extreme temperatures are relatively low. In addition, lubricants need to be compatible with the high-voltage systems of electric vehicles

3. Energy efficiency and environmental requirements

Conventional fuel vehicles: For conventional fuel vehicles, improving fuel efficiency is an important task. Therefore, lubricating oil needs to have the characteristics of reducing friction and improving mechanical efficiency

The profound impact of the development of new energy vehicles on the lubricant industry is mainly reflected in the demand, special needs, product upgrades, environmental protection and safety requirements, etc. The lubricant industry needs to actively respond to the impact and changes of the new energy industry, and achieve the sustainable development of the lubricant industry through technological innovation and transformation and upgrading.

1. Reduced demand:

Because the internal mechanism of new energy vehicles has changed greatly compared with that of internal combustion engine vehicles, some places that traditionally need lubricating oil, such as transmissions, engines, etc., may no longer be needed or the demand may be greatly reduced in new energy vehicles. As a result, the overall demand for lubricating oil may be reduced.

2. Increased special needs:

Although the total demand may be reduced, the demand for lubricants for new energy vehicles will put forward some new special requirements. For example, some motors and electrical components must be in close contact with lubricating oil, and even require repeated dynamic contact with lubricating oil while static discharge, which means that the thermal management performance of lubricating oil must be continuously improved to adapt to the internal conditions of electric vehicles.

3. Product upgrade:

In order to meet the needs of new energy vehicles, the lubricant industry needs to upgrade its products and develop new products that are more efficient, more environmentally friendly and safer. This may lead to some new opportunities, such as the introduction of more lubricants adapted to engine development and in line with hybrid, pure electric power compatibility.

4. Increased environmental protection and safety requirements:

The development of new energy vehicles has also brought about increased environmental protection and safety requirements for lubricants. Since new energy vehicles mainly use electricity as a power source, higher requirements are put forward for the safety performance of lubricating oil such as flammability and toxicity, and they also need lubricating oil to be more environmentally friendly and meet higher emission standards.

The development of new energy has brought specific changes to the lubricant industry

1. Product technology upgrade: More and more lubricant companies begin to add ecological and environmental protection elements in the product formula, such as lead-free, low volatility, etc., to improve the environmental performance of the product. According to statistics, as of 2022, the sales of green environmental protection products in the global lubricant market has reached 10 billion US dollars, an increase of more than 15%.

2. Promotion of environmental protection certification: Governments and industry organizations are strengthening the promotion of environmental protection certification of lubricant products to guide the market to transform to environmentally friendly lubricants. It is reported that in 2019, China's lubricant industry has achieved 100% environmental certification coverage of lubricant products in the process of promoting environmental certification standards.

3. Equipment energy saving and consumption reduction: The application of green lubricating oil can not only reduce environmental pollution, but also improve the energy saving and consumption reduction capacity of equipment, and bring significant economic benefits to industrial production. According to research data, in 2023, the global lubricant application of green products can bring more than 100 billion US dollars of energy saving and consumption reduction benefits.

4. Product diversification: With the development of technology, the lubricant industry products are more and more diversified, including not only automobile lubricants, but also motorcycle lubricants, diesel engine lubricants, diesel fuel additives and other lubricant products. The diversification of products will bring greater room for growth to the industry.

5. Increasing market demand: With the development of lubricating oil, the market demand is also increasing. The application field of lubricants is changing, and more and more new products are becoming the mainstream of the market. In the future, the lubricant industry will face more and more opportunities, and the market demand will continue to change.

6. Green technology leads the development: Green technology plays an irreplaceable role in the lubricant industry. In terms of environmental protection and durability, more environmentally friendly and low-energy technical lubricant products such as high-efficiency lubricants and durable lubricants will be the mainstream of the future market.

The development of new energy vehicles will bring unprecedented opportunities to the lubricant industry, and the market has put forward more demands for product specifications, types and functions, providing a broad space for the development of new products.

In order to adapt to the development of Xinyuan vehicles, the lubricant industry needs to continue to innovate. This kind of innovation will not only help promote the technological progress of the industry, but also bring new development opportunities for enterprises. With the increasing attention of consumers to environmental protection and energy saving issues, the demand for high-quality and high-performance lubricating oil products is also increasing, which provides new business opportunities for lubricant companies.

Author:

Mr. James

E-mail:

sales@cn-lubricantadditive.com

Phone/WhatsApp:

+86 13783582233