Tribology of electric vehicles: A review of critical components, current state and future improvement trends

Considering the growing interest in substituting internal combustion engine vehicles with highly efficient electric vehicles around the world, this paper aims to contribute with a literature review about the current state and future improvement trends for optimization of critical tribological components used in passenger electric vehicles. The review gives an understanding of the most recent achievements in terms of tribological solutions applied to the critical components and the identification of research gaps for further developments and efficiency improvements for EVs through novel component designs, materials and lubricant technologies.