NSK develops low-friction hub unit bearings for electric veh

Writer: Eric Bearing Limited

NSK Ltd. has developed new low-friction hub unit bearings (HUBs), which are very suitable for electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and new energy vehicles. The new bearing maintains high reliability, although it has lower friction, it can still reach the level of traditional products. The new lower friction hub improves fuel economy (reduces energy consumption) and helps extend travel time for electric cars and other vehicles. NSK's goal is to achieve 30 billion yen in sales by 2026.

Hub unit bearing (HUB) is a unit assembly structure that integrates bearings and accessories. The hub connects the wheels and the body, and makes the wheels rotate freely and smoothly.

Development Background

Protecting the environment and reducing carbon dioxide emissions are vital to the continued prosperity of the global society. In order to improve sustainability, the automotive industry is accelerating its development. Development and production of electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and other new energy vehicles. However, the limited range of these vehicles remains a major obstacle to adoption. Reducing friction is an effective way to increase the maximum driving range of a single vehicle. Especially in the HUB, the HUB supports the smooth rotation of the vehicle body and is a component of the vehicle body. Therefore, NSK directed the development work to focus on reducing the friction of the HUB in order to increase the driving distance of the vehicle.  NSK 7210CTYNDULP4 bearings are online , if you are interested , pls click here :

Grease characteristics

Reduce friction while maintaining high reliability. NSK has improved the base oil and thickener composition of lubricating oil. The grease used in the hub can reduce friction by 30% without damaging the grease. Compared with traditional products Than reliability. Improvement measures include reducing the viscosity of the base oil to reduce the resistance caused by the balls rolling in the bearing. Different types of thickeners adopt, further reduce the resistance. This also hardens the grease and helps the grease transfer to the best position in the bearing, thereby reducing the stirring resistance when the balls are rolling.

Benefit

HUB equipped with advanced grease helps to improve fuel economy, vehicle mileage, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The hub can be used in any type of vehicle and is ideally suited for electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and new energy vehicles. Using the new HUB can increase the EV range by 0.6%, which is equivalent to reducing the weight of the battery by 1.4 kg. These hubs are expected to reduce emissions of approximately 345,000 tons of carbon dioxide by 2026.