Driving the future of driving
Nynas is playing an important role in the transition to electric vehicles, as a supplier to the automotive industry and a producer of high-performance oils needed to power tomorrow’s electrical infrastructure.
With the uptake of electric vehicles rapidly accelerating, Nynas provides a vital link in the supply chain with a focus on metalworking fluids, lubricating greases, process and tyre oils as well as insulating fluids for electrical transformers.
“Our naphthenic oils are already going into many automotive applications and we want to be a major contributor to the development of the next generation of electric vehicles too,” says Dr Gaia Franzolin, Nynas Marketing Director.
Nynas products are used in countless automotive applications, ranging from greases that lubricate bearings and other movable parts to rubber components such as seals for doors, windscreens, wipers as well as metalworking fluids to cut and form car parts.
“These will still be required in the next generation of cars, but moving forward, the push towards e-mobility will require far more specialised solutions.”
Lithium — an important component of automotive grease — is proving an increasingly valuable resource as it is also used to produce batteries for electric vehicles. Rising lithium prices and tightening supplies are a challenge for grease producers.
“To address this problem, we launched NYNAS® T 600, a hydrotreated, high viscosity base oil that can reduce the lithium required in the manufacture of greases and the energy utilised in the process,” says Dr Franzolin.
“We are also actively engaging with customers and universities in the development of lithium-free conductive grease designed to help prevent bearing damage from electrical discharge and meet the growing demands of the electrical vehicle industry. Extended battery life is vital for this new generation of transportation.”
Minimising rolling resistance in tyres is another important route to enhance battery performance and extend the range of a vehicle. Bearing in mind that tyres account for 20-30% of a vehicle’s fuel consumption, it’s easy to see that more fuel-efficient tyres will have a significant and positive effect over time.
Nynas has developed process oils to help make efficient tyres that require less energy to move a car. The company’s NYTEX® 4700 and the bio-based NYTEX® BIO 6200 can help reduce rolling resistance by up to 5%.
“We see great potential for our product portfolio that ranges from pure naphthenic tyre oils to innovative bio-based solutions, never compromising the unique characteristic when it comes to rolling resistance, which is key to reducing fuel consumption,” explains Dr Herbert Fruhman, Nynas Marketing Manager Tyre & Rubber oils.
With electric vehicles expected to add about 4,000 TWh of new electricity demand globally by 2050, massive investments are also needed in renewable energy production and better grids. This is another area where Nynas solutions play an important part.
“Our naphthenic oils are used to lubricate windmill turbines as well as for insulation in transformers connecting wind and solar farms and other renewable energy sources to the grid. Our insulating fluids include NYTRO® BIO 300X, which has excellent cooling properties and is made from 100% renewable raw material,” says Gaia Franzolin, concluding:
“The aim for us is to help our customers in the automotive industry and society at large achieve their sustainability goals through innovative products that provide top performance and last for a long time. This is our ongoing contribution to the future of transportation – we want to be part of the solution.”
