Tribology, Powertrains and the Electrified Future of Lubricants | Ed Becker

Tribology, Powertrains and the Electrified Future of Lubricants | Ed Becker

From F+L Webcast by F&L Asia Limited

June 8, 2026 · 1h 1m · Season 1 · Episode 54

About this episode

Ed Becker discusses the evolution of automotive powertrains and the implications for lubricants in the context of electrification.

In this episode of the F+L Webcast, host Vicky Villena-Denton talks with Ed Becker — 2007–2008 President and Fellow of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) — about the past, present, and future of the automotive powertrain and what it means for lubricants.Drawing on 30 years at General Motors’ Powertrain division and his current work at Friction & Wear Solutions, LLC, Ed explains how the internal combustion engine became a commoditised “appliance,” revisits the long history of electric vehicles, and unpacks the genuinely difficult fluid challenges electrification has created: dedicated EV gearbox lubricants, electrical conductivity, heat transfer, fluid aging, and the particular demands of hybrids. He closes with a compelling case for tribology as a career — the study of interacting surfaces, applicable everywhere from brakes and bolted joints to adhesives.

People in this episode

Host: Vicky Villena-Denton

Guest: Ed Becker

Topics covered

  • tribology
  • automotive powertrain
  • lubricants
  • electric vehicles
  • fluid challenges
  • hybrids

Keywords

  • tribology
  • lubricants
  • electric vehicles
  • powertrain
  • fluid challenges
  • hybrids
  • internal combustion engine

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers, General Motors, Friction & Wear Solutions, LLC

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