Tire manufacturer Enso, Transport for London (TfL) and the Royal Mail are to carry out tire trials as part of the London FreightLab innovation challenge. The specially designed tires will be fitted to some of the Royal Mail’s fleet of electric vans over a six- to nine-month period to discover if they can aid in reducing vehicle emissions and enhancing efficiency.
Enso claims that the tires produce fewer microparticles and increase vehicle range compared with other types. Previous tests have shown that EV range can be improved by up to 11%.
Fifteen vans at the Royal Mail’s West London Delivery Office will be fitted with the new tires. During the trial period, they will be weighed every six weeks to take note of wear rates and estimate the reduction in particulate matter emissions. The tires will also be checked for even wear.
“As a company, we are committed to making changes to our operations that reduce our environmental impact,” commented James Baker, chief engineer and fleet director at Royal Mail. “The trial and potential wide-scale introduction of more efficient and environmentally friendly tires enable us to help achieve this, while allowing us to continue to deliver letters and parcels safely, efficiently and responsibly.”
Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, founder and CEO at Enso, explained, “Enso’s innovative EV tires are designed to be EV range extending and PM pollution reducing. Through TfL’s FreightLab trial with Royal Mail, we aim to demonstrate their contribution toward reducing air pollution in London.”
Erlendsson continued, “Enso’s mission is to disrupt the £200bn [US$274bn] global tire industry and deliver the most efficient, durable and sustainable tires for EVs. By developing better EV tires, we can reduce pollution and carbon emissions in line with the UK, and indeed global, commitments to reach net zero.”