Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Idemitsu) has developed the E AXLE and Electric Parts Cooling Oil, a groundbreaking oil that can be used with e-Axle drive units, electronics and battery systems in Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs). Including this newly developed oil, Idemitsu now offers a lineup of products in six categories for EVs and HEVs with various applications to provide comprehensive support for electric vehicle technology.
As the world pursues vehicle electrification as part of a global decarbonization push, simplifying vehicle constructions is key to optimizing the performance of EVs and HEVs. Energy efficiency, quietness, compactness, and weight savings must all be considered for mechanisms and parts.
Crucially, electronics, motors, batteries, gears, bearings, and other parts of EVs and HEVs require cooling and lubrication. Designs that use multiple cooling media, such as cooling water (LLC), e-Axle oil, and battery cooling oil, for each EV and HEV component are being considered, but are expected to result in overly complex circuitry.
In response, Idemitsu has developed the E AXLE and Electric Parts Cooling Oil, with the aim of reducing the number of parts by simplifying the cooling circuit, saving interior space and unifying oil types, with benefits for both manufacturers and consumers.
In particular, the new oil can be used for comprehensive cooling of e-Axle systems, which are increasingly used in EVs and HEVs.
