The penetration of electric vehicle technology is a major global trend resulting from regulations intended to improve vehicle fuel efficiency and to reduce emission of greenhouse gases. OEMs, suppliers and researchers are looking for base oils that meet new e-fluid needs which happen to be different than for lubricants used in internal combustion engine vehicles. So far few systematic studies benchmark crucial properties of e-fluid base oils. This talk will compare base oil properties of polyalphaolefins and various new polyalkylene glycole solutions covering the following topics:

1. cooling performance evaluating thermal conductivity and heat transfer properties
2. energy efficiency evaluating friction on a ball on disc tribometer
3. electrical properties evaluating electric conductivities
4. sustainability assessing ecotox profile and biodegradability as well as
5. thermal and thermal-oxidative stability.

One major finding is that depending on the type polyalkylene glycols offer the possibility to adjust and finetune these properties within a comparably wide range.