Michelin eco ranges presented at Paris show

Michelin’s Energy E-V first caught the public’s eye at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year through the release of the ZOE, Renault’s new, affordable electric car, and the tyre maker officially debuted the Energy E-V – now bearing an AA label – at last week’s Paris Motor Show.

All Renault ZOE models equipped with 15 and 16-inch wheels will be delivered with the Energy E-V as standard equipment. The Michelin tyre forms part of the Renault ZOE’s Range OptimiZEr package, which combines several new technologies designed to improve the vehicle’s range in all driving conditions. Michelin shares that in suburban driving, for example, the Energy E-V tyres increase the ZOE’s range by up to six per cent, depending on the type of use.

The French tyre maker claims two firsts with the Energy E-V. It refers the tyre as the first developed specifically for electric vehicles, and says the Energy E-V was the first tyre to be AA label certified by a tyre manufacturer. In relation to the label, the Energy E-V also carries a two wave rating for external rolling noise, which means it already complies with the future limit that will come into effect on 1 November 2016.

 Also enjoying its public debut in Paris was the Energy Saver+. Consumers were shown the tyre along with a number of pertinent statistics; for example, Michelin claims fuel savings of 200 litres over a distance of 45,000 kilometres compared with fuel consumption when using tyres that that meet the minimum performance level defined in the European labelling regulation. Using the minimum once again as a benchmark, Michelin says its Energy Saver+ stops 16 metres sooner on wet road surfaces – it attributes a ten per cent increase in footprint over the previous generation tyre as a reason for its strong stopping performance. The tyre maker also notes it has filed 160 patents related to improving energy efficiency since 1992, with the resulting technologies incorporated into its ‘Energy’ range.

The Energy Saver+ is the first Michelin tyre to be made with Eco and Grip Compound, a patented new rubber compound developed by researchers at Michelin’s Ladoux Technology Center. The nuts and bolts of Eco and Grip Compound is that it limits molecular heat build-up, thereby reducing the amount of energy the tyre absorbs. According to Michelin, the technology’s effectiveness lies in its ability to deliver this performance without compromising the tyre’s other qualities, which include maximum safety in all driving conditions and greater mileage.

Michelin’s Saver+ will be available in 14, 15 and 16-inch versions and a total of 58 different fitments, a size portfolio that covers a broad array of cars in the European market. Tyres within the range carry an A label rating for wet grip and B or C for fuel efficiency. At the time of the Paris Motor Show the Energy Saver+ had been certified for original equipment fitment on ten cars from Ford, Nissan Peugeot, Citroën, Renault, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.