THE END OF THE ENGINE OIL BOTTLE?

摘要

Most 1- and 5-quart engine oil bottles sit on retail shelves, waiting to be plucked by one of the dwindling numbers of do-it-yourself engine oil consumers. Oil sold to the D1Y segment has dipped from 30 percent of aftermarket oil consumption in 2013 to between 20 and 25 percent today, according to Larry Solomon of Strategic Resources. (See "Markets Change, but Customer Service Still Rules" in the January 2020 issue of Lubes'n 'Greases.) To compound the trend, the coming wave of electric vehicles will use far fewer lubricants—and no engine oil—and most of those lubes won't require service replacement. Will the rise of EVs spell the end of the quart-size engine oil bottle? What about other lubricant packaging? From BMW to Nissan, automakers are shifting to battery-powered vehicles, spurred on by emissions regulations and consumer sentiment. While most EVs are small to mid-size cars, the market is expanding into pickup trucks. For example, American electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian will soon begin selling its 2021 R1T pickup. In 2019, worldwide appetite for finished lubricants inched just above 40.5 million tons, according to Parsippany, New Jersey-based consultancy Kline & Co., with automotive products accounting for more than half. That breaks down to about 23 percent heavy-duty engine oil and 21 percent passenger car motor oil, with gear oil, transmission fluid and wheel bearing and chassis greases making up 9 percent.