EV Fluid Producers

Over the past few years, several of the world’s major lubricant manufacturers and a number of smaller players have stepped into the dedicated electric vehicle fluid arena. This group of EV fluid producers predicts the future of passenger cars is battery electric and are getting out in front of a packed passenger car motor oil field by developing lubrication products optimized for a new breed of powertrains. More companies will follow suit as the number of EVs in the vehicle parc grows.

Most EV fluid producers cover the three main application areas in an EV: e-transmissions, thermal management of the battery and greases. Below is a summary of some of the e-fluid products on the market. Technical information is included where available. If you are a manufacturer of an e-fluid not mentioned in this list or would like to provide any more information about your product, contact info@lubesngreases.com.

Arteco
Freecor EV Milli 10 
Origin: Belgium
Product: Freecor EV Milli 10 is a reduced electrical conductivity coolant for indirect cooling of battery EVs.

Arteco is a coolant company and is not in the traditional lubricant space. But the company could face stiffening competition as legacy lube companies move into the coolant business.

Castrol
On
Origin: United Kingdom
Products: On Transmission wet and dry transmissions, On Grease for e-motors and On Thermal dielectric battery coolant.

More than half of the world’s major automakers use Castrol’s e-fluids in their factory fill lineups. A Castrol e-fluid is even used on Nasa’s InSight Mars lander.

Castrol and EV propulsion specialist Sprint Power will jointly develop ultra-fast battery packs using Castrol’s ON EV thermal fluid as the coolant. The collaboration follows Castrol’s announcement that it will build a new EV battery test center, further cementing the company’s commitment to e-mobility. 

In April 2022, the U.K. company released its e-transmission fluid to aftermarket sales.

Cepsa
Xtar EV and hybrid
Origin: Spain
Products: Xtar

Cepsa’s has extended its conventional Xtar range to include fluids optimized for EVs and hybrids. These products will be distributed to more than 80 countries and will be available through 1,800 service stations in Spain and Portugal, as well as in workshops and official distributors. What the range comprises is to be announced.

ExxonMobil
Mobil EV
Origin: United States
Launch: September 2019
Products: Therm Elite 701 and 702 thermal management fluids; Drive 201, Drive EP 202 and 203, and Drive Elite EP 801 reduction gearbox fluids; Cool Drive 301 and 302, and Cool Drive Elite 901 integrated e-motor and reduction gear fluids; EM 100 electric drive motor grease; and WB 100 and WB Elite 150 wheel bearing greases.

In January, Exxon announced that effective April 1, it would streamline EV lubrication and plastics developed for EVs under the auspices of ExxonMobil Product Solutions Company. Two other business units will be ExxonMobil Product Solutions and ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions.

Fuchs Petrolub SE
Blue EV
Origin: Germany
Launch: September 2020
Products: DriveFluid transmission oil for electric and hybrid drivetrains; MotorGrease specifically designed for electric motors; and ThermalFluid dielectric heat transfer fluid. In May 2020, the company bought a 28% stake of E-Lyte Innovations GmbH, a start-up that develops and produces electrolytes for high-performance batteries in the industrial and automotive sectors.

GS Caltex
Kixx EV
Origin: South Korea and United States
Products: transmission oil for gear or motor reducers and a coolant for the battery system.

Gulf Oil Lubricants India
eLEC
Origin: India
Launch: October 2021
Products: eLEC brake fluids, eLEC coolant, eLEC driveline fluid

HP Lubricants
HPEV
Origin: India
Launch: February 2020
Products: HP EV Brake Fluid; HP EV Hubgrease; HP EV Koolgard, a coolant; HP EV Polygrease; HP EV Steering Fluid; and HP EV Transmission Fluid.

The company includes information on the physical and chemical properties for its EV products.

HP EV Brake Fluid is 1,450 centistokes at -40 degrees Celsius, 1.7 cSt at 100 C, has an equilibrium reflux boiling point of 264 C, wet equilibrium reflux boiling point of 155 C and is pH 9.

Hubgrease has a minimum drop point of 260 C, exhibits no corrosion during the copper strip corrosion test, a four-ball weld load of 315 kg and a pass for the EMCOR rust test.

Koolgard has density at 20 C of 1.0762 grams per cubic centimeter.

Polygrease is an NLGI grade 2.5 greases with a drop point using ASTM D2265 at less than 220 C, base oil viscosity of 80 cSt at 40 C using ASTM D445, base oil viscosity of 9.5 cSt at 100 C using ASTM D445 and specific resistance greater than 10 million ohm X cm.

Steering fluid has properties of kinematic viscosity at 100 C of 7.1 cSt, viscosity index of 195, flash point less than 230 C and one copper strip corrosion at 100 C after three hours.

Transmission fluid

  • kinematic viscosity at 100 C of 6.5 cSt
  • viscosity index of 160
  • flash point of 240 C
  • pour point less than -51 C.

EV Fluids
Origin: Japan
Launch:
Products: Type‑A, for e-motors integrated with the gears; Type-C, for e-motors applied to the engine or the existing transmission with specific electrical and material compatibility and added thermal transfer requirements; and Type-G, For e-motors at the rear axle with extremely high speeds and small sump volumes.

Eneos EV Fluid
Origin: Japan
Launch: June 2020
Products: Eneos Gear Protection, Eneos HV AT for automatic transmissions of electric and hybrid vehicles, Eneos Motor Cool, Eneos Energy Saving, Eneos Isolation for electrical insulation and Eneos Battery Cool.

Petronas
Iona
Origin: Malaysia
Launch: March 2019
Products: Iona Integra DNF transmission, final reduction gear and wet brake fluid; Iona Thermal HPFD thermal management fluid; and Iona Integra Plus FCA transmission fluid.

Iona Integra Plus
Co-developed fluids for vehicle maker Iveco’s zero-emission vehicle eDaily, specifically the e-Transfer case.

Phillips 66
e-Shield
Origin: United States
Launch: March 2021
Products: system fluid, grease and coolant.

The e-Shield EV system fluid is used in the factory-fill for several major original equipment manufacturers’ EVsPhillips 66 is one of the largest finished lubricants suppliers in the U.S. It also produces 1.1 million tons per year of API Group II base oil]and is a major supplier of graphite needle coke use in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries that power EVs.

Phillips 66 Lubricants is known for manufacturing and marketing high-quality base oils and finished lubricant formulations in three lubricant brands: Phillips 66®, Kendall® Motor Oil, and Red Line® Synthetic Oil. 

Repsol
EV-Fluids
Origin: Spain
Launch: March 2021
Products: battery thermal fluid, motors or inverters; a coolant antifreeze 50% for batteries, motors, or inverters; an automatic transmission fluid; a brake fluid; and a complex synthetic grease for bearings and motors.

Repsol has provided technical data for each product.

  • Battery thermal fluid:
    0.969 g/mL density at 20 degrees Celsius using test method ISO 12185
  • 27.4 cSt kinematic viscosity at 40 degrees Celsius using ISO 3104
  • 1,196 cSt kinematic viscosity at -20 degrees Celsius using ISO 3104
  • 308 degrees Celsius ignition point using ISO 2592
  • -50 degrees Celsius pour point using ISO 301
  • 255 degrees Celsius flash point using ISO 2719
  • 77 kV dielectric breakdown voltage using IEC 60156
  • 7.4 G Ohm.m resistance at 90 degrees Celsius using IEC 60247
  • 72% biodegradability over 28 days using OECD 301B
  • Coolant antifreeze:
    1.073 g/cm3 density at 20 C using ASTM D5931
  • -40 C freezing point using ASTM D1177
  • 8.5 pH at 20 C using ASTM D1287
  • 4.6 ml HCI 0.1N alkaline reserve using ASTM D1121
  • Automatic transmission fluid:
    0.848 g/cm3 density at 15 C using ASTM D4052
  • 6 cSt viscosity at 100 C using ASTM D445
  • 31 cSt viscosity at 40 C using ASTM D445
  • 15,000 cP max viscosity at -40 C using ASTM D2983
  • 151 viscosity index using ASTM D2270
  • 215 C flash point using ASTM D92
  • -48 C pour point using ASTM D97
  • Brake fluid:
  • 2,000 maximum ppm of water using ASTM D1364
  • 1.07 g/cm3 density at 20 C using ASTM D1298
  • 750 maximum cSt viscosity at -40 C using ASTM D445
  • 1.5 minimum cSt viscosity at 100 C using ASTM D445
  • 260 C boiling point using SAE J1704
  • 180 C wet boiling point using SAE J1704
  • 7 minimum pH value using ASTM D112
  • Non-existent sedimentation at -40 C using SAE J1704
  • Complex synthetic grease:
  • Two-thirds consistency using NLGI methods
  • A complex lithium soap thickener type
  • 85 mm2/s base oil viscosity at 40 C using ASTM D44
  • 260 1/10 mm worked penetration at 60 strokes using ASTM D21
  • 288 C dropping point using METTLER FP-83H
  • 1150 mbar flow pressure at -50 C using DIN 51805
  • 3 psi oxidation stability 100 h using ASTM D942

Shell
Origin: U.K., the Netherlands
Launch: May 2019, expanded October 2020
Products: grease, coolant and transmission fluid for passenger cars. The range was later configured to include new products for light- to heavy-duty commercial BEVs and fuel-cell EVs.

S-Oil
Seven EV
Origin: South Korea
Launch: November 2021
The specifications for S-Oil’s range of e-fluids are yet to be confirmed but will likely include oil for hybrids, as well as EV fluids.

Total
Quartz for hybrids and Rubia for industrial, commercial and utility EVs
Origin: France
Products: Quartz features EV-AT, EV-AMT, EV-DCT and EV-CVT transmission fluids for automatic hybrids, automated manual hybrids, dual-clutch transmissions and continuously variable transmissions, respectively.

EV-Drive R for EV drivetrain reducers; EV-Drive MP lube and coolant fluid for EV drivetrains, EV-Battery thermal management fluid for EV and hybrid batteries; and EV-Motor thermal management fluid for EV and PHEVs. Rubia features the same products tuned for industrial vehicles minus the DVT and CVT transmission fluids.

Valvoline
Performance Fluids and XEV
Origin: United States
Launch: September 2019, U.S.
Products: Performance Fluids – a heat transfer fluid for battery applications, fuel-cells and charging applications; a transmission fluid; a brake fluid; and a grease for e-motors and seal bearings.
Launch: October 2021, China
Products: Hybrid motor oil, battery protection fluid and fluids for transmissions and brakes.

ZF
Origin: Germany
Launch: August 2022
Products: ZF Lifeguard for reduction gears, electric motors and power electronics, ZF Lifeguard Hybrid for ZF passenger car hybrid transmissions

Car parts maker ZF, which is headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany, has introduced a range of aftermarket e-Fluids. The company recognises the growth in independent workshops and so developed a range of fluids to fill the need for aftermarket products for EVs and PHEVs. 

3M
Novec Engineered Fluids
Product: Direct contact cooling for battery systems