Barcelona’s buses to roll on Hankook tyres

Hankook tyres will be fitted to more than 1,100 city buses in Barcelona under a new supply agreement with the city’s main public transit operator, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB). Tyres will be supplied and fitted by Grupo Soledad, Hankook Tire’s distributor in Spain.

The tyre of choice is the Hankook SmartCity AU04+, which will be fitted in size 275/70R22.5. Hankook Tire notes that although the SmartCity AU04+ is its first tyre designed for use on electric-powered buses, it is equally at home on conventional buses. After their first life, the tyres will be retreaded as Hankook Alpha Tread products.

“The agreement with one of Europe’s biggest urban transport companies makes us very proud; especially because it’s an agreement on the usage of our future-oriented technology,” stated Han-Jun Kim, president of Hankook Tire Europe. “This will put the SmartCity AU04+, our first bus tyre line for electric-powered buses, on a large-scale level on the road. We look forward to expanding our fleet cooperations in Europe, being always on track with new mobility trends.”

Upon signing the agreement, TMB director Ramón Bacardí said: “The impeccable maintenance of our fleet is very important to keep the urban bus transportation in Barcelona running on the best level. Especially in regards to the tyres, it was important to find a reliable partner. With our business now mounted on Hankook tyres our technicians and workshop managers have found the first choice to maximise the performance of our fleet. At the same time, we have optimised the respective total cost of ownership.”

Manuel Pérez, commercial director of Grupo Soledad, added: “We are thrilled to have brought up this new cooperation with Hankook and TMB. Like us, both companies are constantly investing into new mobility concepts, materials and operation facilities. The cooperation thus perfectly underlines our commitment to sustainable transport solutions.”