Water based lubrication for electric vehicle transmission application

Lubrication is a vital mechanism in vehicles to reduce friction between rotating parts. The water-based lubricant (WBL) is an emerging technology with positive prospects as a sustainable alternative to fossil-based lubricants. The higher cooling effect, lower power loss, and environment friendliness all these factors made WBL a potential candidate for future lubrication. However, there are still some drawbacks to industrializing this sustainable lubricant. The transition from conventional lubricants to water-based lubricants require new design thinking of the gear and bearing surfaces of the vehicle gearbox.

In this project, a detailed investigation is planned to understand the WBL and gears/bearings surface interaction under different real contact conditions. The main goal is to understand the limit of WBL in terms of friction, wear, and failure modes to employ the results in rolling sliding contacts of vehicle transmission.

Project partners: Volvo Car and SKF B.V.

Project duration: 2021-2025

Project funded by: Swedish Energy Agency