We present a varied bill in this edition of LubesnGreases EMEA, one that should elicit plenty of discussion. In our first feature, regular Middle East contributor Mark Townsend discusses the future of electric vehicles. While its something many of us agree is generally good for the environment, its not so positive for makers of automotive lubricants, which comprise more than 50 percent of global lube demand. Also, using electricity to power cars is better than hydrocarbons, right? Maybe not. This electricity will likely be generated by fossil fuels, at least until renewables make up the majority of power sources. And what about all that duty on fuel that governments rely on so heavily, not to mention the lower carbon cost of using older cars compared with building new ones?

Our Africa reporter Shem Oriere highlights the sales potential for grease suppliers in the wake of huge new rail projects in East Africa. But in a region that relies heavily on roads, increased cargo and passengers on the tracks could mean the death of many private logistics and passenger companies and vehicle lube demand along with it.

Trevor Gauntlett, our industry tech writer, looks at ionic liquids, the new greener, customizable future of lubricant additives. But will the addcos retool and retest when theyve already invested so much in traditional chemicals?

And from Eastern Europe, Boris Kamchev lays down the law on the REACH, the EU-wide chemicals regulation – a worthy aim to protect human and environmental health through registration of substances but one that is hugely complicated and expensive for small manufacturers of grease.

Mail me at the address below if you have comments on any article you read in these pages or better still, you can always Ask the Expert by visiting www.LubesnGreases.com/resources.