Apollo launches first EV-specific tyres

With Apollo Tyres launching a new Vredestein tyre specifically developed for electric vehicles (EVs) later this year, the debut of the tyre maker’s first EV-specific products in India is particularly interesting. Yesterday, Apollo introduced new ranges for cars and two-wheelers.

The passenger car range is called Apollo Amperion and is targeted at drivers of hatchbacks, compact SUVs and saloons. Apollo says Amperion offers “best-in-class rolling resistance” as well as low noise emissions thanks to a tread pattern that is optimised for EVs, an aerodynamic sidewall and the latest generation polymers, traction resin and other raw materials. The tyre maker reports that the result of these efforts is that the Amperion is the first tyre from an Indian manufacturer to achieve a five-star rating in the currently voluntary Star Label that India’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency introduced last December.

Intended for fitment on high-powered electric scooters, Apollo Wav offers low rolling resistance, low weight and the ability to cope with high traction. Apollo Tyres shares that it will develop EV tyres for motorcycles in its next development phase for the electromobility sector, but notes that the number of electric motorcycles in India is still “extremely low”.

Jellyfish & circuit boards

Commenting on the launch of The Apollo Amperion and Wav, Satish Sharma, president, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd said: “Tyre design and manufacturing have always evolved along with the automobiles. Our teams have invested years of research to understand the changing dynamics and requirements of vehicles in EV space to perfect the product that we are launching today. We are already in discussions with multiple OEMs in India to supply these tyres for the electric vehicles, and will be targeting for a lion’s share in the EV space in India, in both PV and two-wheeler segments.”

Technologies that Apollo Tyres utilised when developing the two tyre lines include: ‘AQuT Tech’ (Apollo Quiet Tyre Technology), which centres on tweaks to the tyre cavity, pattern and construction to reduce noise, as well as ‘BEST Tech’ (Battery Energy Saver Technology), a package of ultra-low rolling resistance technologies that helps extend electric vehicle battery range. The Apollo R&D Team also turned to Design Mood Board philosophy for design inspiration, and the tyre maker says that the design of Apollo Amperion has been “inspired by jellyfish,” an entity it describes as being the “most energy efficient and silent creature.” Apollo Wav, in contrast, is inspired by “digital circuit board design.”