Around the world, nations continue to electrify their public transportation systems in a drive toward greater sustainability. While China operates a majority of the world’s estimated 3.5 million electric vehicle (EV) buses, Europe and the U.S. are quickly transitioning their own fleets to battery technology[1].  It’s a positive trend.

More EV buses on the road means lower emissions and cleaner air. Unfortunately, it also creates an attractive new market for bearing counterfeiters. Recent instances of fake bearings sold to EV bus manufacturers put the safety of bus passengers and the public at serious risk.

“Counterfeit bearing quality and performance is far inferior to the engineered products manufactured by the world’s leading bearing brands,” says Dragos Oprescu, general manager of the global service engineering team at Timken. “All counterfeit automotive bearing failures have consequences, but when it happens on a public bus that shares busy urban roads, it can cause higher levels of injury and loss of life. Global EV bus manufacturers and industrial distributors must be on the lookout for counterfeits to prevent this from happening.”

Recently, a China-based EV bus manufacturer that relies on genuine Timken® tapered roller bearings unknowingly purchased a counterfeit Timken bearing for testing. The bearing, which was incorporated in a bus transmission output shaft, failed shortly after the test started.

The bus manufacturer contacted Timken engineers directly to understand why the bearing failed. Upon inspection, Timken experts discovered heavy discoloration and wear from overheating. The bearing also had incorrect product markings and was found to be a counterfeit.

“Counterfeit bearings can present a global safety issue,” said Oprescu. “We encourage buying from authorized Timken® distributors. In this case, because thousands of buses are being built for passengers throughout China and Europe, we partnered directly with the original equipment manufacturer as an added precaution.”

The World Bearing Association estimates that 39% of all counterfeit bearings pose a threat to human lives, across industries. To save lives and reduce risk, bearing buyers should only purchase from brand-authorized bearing distributors and use the WBA app to verify genuine product.

[1] Electric Vehicle Outlook 2023, Bloomberg NEF