New additives, new measurement processes
It is precisely these electrical requirements that the FUCHS development team has been focusing on for some time now. “We had to come up with whole new ways of influencing – to a greater or lesser extent – the electrical properties of lubricants,” says the head of predevelopment. Potential solutions include brand-new additives and appropriate measurement processes: “We already use rheological and tribological measurement methods in electrically charged environments in our laboratory.” That said, FUCHS is well positioned because it already has a wealth of vital experience in the development of numerous detailed electrical solutions for cars: “Even cars equipped with combustion engines contain dozens of electric motors performing a wide range of tasks,” says the divisional head. “The task now is ‘only’ to electrify the primary power train, although that is a bigger challenge than you might think.”
Concerning this particular challenge, the industry is still very much in its early stages. “The layperson might think: ‘Vacuum cleaners with electric motors have been around for a century now, so what’s the problem?’” says the head of predevelopment. But the requirements are not remotely comparable: “Cars are much more dynamic in their operation.” And he mentions another important aspect – energy efficiency: “In electric cars, reducing friction through the use of lubricants is fundamentally even more important than in cars with combustion engines. While the top development priority right now for combustion-engine cars is to cut CO2 emissions, for electric cars it is to achieve ever-greater ranges. And achieving both of these goals also ultimately involves reducing friction.”
On top of this are high expectations regarding performance, weight and, above all, cost. “A wide range of different approaches to develop partial or fully electric powertrains is currently being explored. Regardless of which approach wins out, they all have areas that urgently require optimization,” says the expert from FUCHS. “This is why nobody yet knows which concept will perhaps become the established standard in 20 years.”