Michelin adds 315/80R22.5 options to X Multi Energy truck tyre range
Michelin has added 315/80 R22.5 X Multi Energy Z (multi position) and X Multi Energy D (drive) fitments to its regional truck tyre range. As a result the manufacturer’s range focused on fuel-saving now offers two of the most popular sizes in the UK and Irish heavy truck market. The manufacturer said the tyre targets regional or national haulage operations with a high priority on sustainability, the new sizes are available now, alongside the popular 315/70 R22.5, first launched in 2018, for the original equipment and replacement markets.
Continue ReadingRecycled tyres + graphene = SpaceMat
As we have all witnessed during the last 12 months, the recycled tyre business is experiencing something of a renaissance at the moment. And the abilities of wondering molecule graphene are well-documented. But what happened when you combine the two? The answer, according to one Greater Manchester-based startup is SpaceMat.
Continue ReadingWastefront Sunderland plant could save 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over 30 years
Wastefront recently appointed Norwegian international accredited registrar and classification society DNV GL to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment for Wastefront’s proposed tyre to hydrocarbon plant in Sunderland. The Sunderland plant, which was announced last summer and which will be delivered in association with Devaltec LLC, is due to be completed in 2023. Now Wastefront’s Sunderland plant is roughly two years away from operation, the company has shared some of the primary base-case scenario findings from the report with Tyres & Accessories.
Continue ReadingRHA details big EU exports slump post-Brexit
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has reported that exports to the EU going through British ports in January fell by 68 per cent compared to the same month last year. An article in the Observer newspaper said that the fall was mostly down to problems caused by Brexit.
Continue ReadingSSH embarking on £75 million Renfewshire, Scotland tyre processing plant project
SSH Recycling Ltd has submitted a planning pre-application to Renfrewshire council in a bid to build a tyre devulcanization and processing plant in Linwood, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The project is what the company describes as “the first of its kind in the UK” and is intended to “solve the entirety of Scotland’s waste tyre problem, using revolutionary new technology to recycle or reuse every component part of the tyre”. However, SSH’s process will support the devulcanisation of treated rubber in order to create synthetic rubber sheet, conveyor belts, shoe soles or rubber mats.
Continue ReadingJanuary UK van registrations rise two per cent
The UK new light commercial vehicle (LCV) market enjoyed growth in the first month of the year, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Registrations rose 2.0 per cent in January with 24,029 of the latest, low emission vehicles hitting UK roads as new models and deals drove fleet renewal. Although the fluctuating nature of fleet renewal often impacts the first month of the year in particular, 2021 opened with the highest volume January since 1990, 10.5 per cent ahead of five-year average.
Continue ReadingOptimistic reactions to January car sales figures
Despite the gloomy January figures, there are signs of optimism in the UK car industry. Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers in the UK, said that the steep fall in sales was expected as a result of the January lockdown, but she went on: “Retailers are optimistic about the year ahead, provided that dealerships will be allowed to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Continue ReadingJanuary new car sales worst for fifty years
January proved to be a traumatic month for new car sales in the UK, as the market fell -39.5 per cent in the month with 59,030 fewer registrations compared to January last year, according to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Just 90,249 cars were registered as showrooms across the country remained shut, leading to the worst start to the year since 1970.
Continue ReadingCarbon-neutral synthetic fuels for ICEs: Paddy Lowe joining ASI Connect debate
The government may plan to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, but does mean there’s no future for combustion engines? Paddy Lowe doesn’t think so. The former chief technical officer at Williams Racing posits that synthetic fuels could play a role in the automotive industry’s cleaner future. He will champion this cause during Autosport International (ASI) Connect next month.
Continue ReadingWe need to torque about speed ratings: power, speed and electric vehicle tyre fitments
Pirelli’s “power is nothing without control” strapline is well-known and apt. But, as we move further into the era of electric vehicles, should we be thinking: speed-ratings mean nothing without considering torque? In July 2003 my predecessor Peter Gardner published “Let’s torque speed ratings”, an editorial article that followed suggestions from within the tyre business that we reconsider what we mean by those letter values so-often tagged onto the end of tyre sizes. The discussion was specifically prompted by Stephen Marsh (then of Stapleton’s Tyre Services) who made the point that the power transference properites of millennial engines is as important as the absolute speed capability of tyres. In other words, when recommending products, the tyre business should be just as concerned about a vehicle’s torque demands as its top-speed capability.
Continue ReadingFalken Tyres signs UK TV sponsorship deal
Falken Tyres will sponsor a series of television programmes on UKTV’s entertainment channel, Dave. The first national TV advertising campaign for the Sumitomo Rubber Industries global tyre brand was developed by the brand’s UK distributor Micheldever Tyre Services and its partner agency Spark Foundry. Falken idents will appear before and after selected programmes – collectively called “Characters on Dave” – between February and November 2021. These programmes include the popular entertainment shows QI XL, Travel Man, and Would I Lie To You?
Continue ReadingUTAC CERAM completes Millbrook acquisition, new governance introduced
In December 2020 French group UTAC CERAM announced that it was buying British test specialists Millbrook, which also owns well-known tyre test centres such as Test World in Finland. The plan is to merge the two companies, creating “a market-leading group in vehicle testing, vehicle type approval and emerging technologies for autonomous, connected and electric vehicles”.
Continue ReadingVersarien wins £1.95 million graphene research development agreement
Versarien plc, which makes nanocompounds for tyre applications amongst other things, is was awarded a product development funding from the Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), a part of the Ministry of Defence at the end of November 2020.
Continue ReadingVersarien appoints chief technology officer
Versarien plc, the AIM-listed the advanced materials engineering group, announced on 7 January that it has appointed Dr Stephen Hodge as the companys Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Dr Hodge joined the companys board with immediate effect.
Continue ReadingTRA Pyrolysis Group holds first meeting
The new TRA Pyrolysis Group held its first meeting on 26 January 2021 attended by 16 of the association’s members. The meeting identified a number of common interests and objectives ranging from feedstock monitoring, the clear need to influence future regulation governing pyrolysis operators as well as complex issues such as ‘end of waste’ status and planning constraints.
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