Prinx Chengshan and leading Chinese e-commerce firm JD.com have reached a strategic cooperation agreement. The deal will see JD.com’s automotive department distribute Prinx brand electric vehicle tyres, a new product launched by Prinx Chengshan in 2022, amongst other things.
When Prinx Chengshan presented its flagship Prinx tyre brand at The Tire Cologne in May, talk was of its introduction in European markets later in 2022. The tyre maker also displayed a pair of Prinx tyres scheduled for launch in China ahead of the brand’s arrival here. These tyres have now hit the market in the People’s Republic and signal the brand’s repositioning as a range “born for the electric age.” Prinx Chengshan will show them off the China International Tire & Wheel Fair in Qingdao this week.
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 Davanti Vantoura 4-Seasons is available in a range of light commercial vehicle fitments now, after the tyre received its public unveiling at the CV Show in 2021. The tyre is the UK tyre brand’s answer for transport operators looking for ways to ensure their fleets remain on the road and are as economical as possible. Davanti notes that the rising cost of living, and particularly fuel prices are making proper fleet maintenance even more important. One aspect that can help is checking tyres are fit for purpose. Selecting the right tyre, for the right van, for the right application, is one way to improve efficiency and reliability of commercial vehicles. With a vast range of options available to van fleets, Davanti says it is important to address the requirement of fit-for-purpose commercial tyres. Its Vantoura 4-Seasons represents the brand’s versatile solution for the segment.
Whether a van is powered by internal combustion or electricity, the demands placed on its tyres remain consistent. Therefore rather than developing specific electric light commercial tyres, Falken is improving the efficiency and durability of its van tyres to enable its range to support ongoing ICE vehicle utilisation and the transition to electric-powered models alike. Andreas Giese, senior manager, corporate and product planning, Falken Tyre Europe answered Tyres & Accessories’ questions about tyres and the electrification of the fleet.
Hankook Tire has expanded the portfolio of original equipment products it supplies to electric vehicles with tyres for two new Audi models, the Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron. These compact SUVs will leave the factory on Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3 ev tyres. Depending on model and equipment level, Audi will fit the Hankook tyre in 19- to 21-inch dimensions.
When Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles began manufacturing the ID. Buzz at its Hannover plant in Germany last month, it described the production start as a “milestone in the brand’s electrification.” VW intends to build up to 130,000 units a year, and Continental has already ‘outed’ itself as original equipment tyre supplier. But despite the German manufacturer’s long history of equipping VW campervans, the EcoContact 6 Q is presumably not the only tyre being supplied to VW production lines for the ID. Buzz.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Michelin and Hyundai Motor Group will facilitate the development of a new generation of tyres optimised for electric vehicles (EVs). The three-year agreement, a follow-up to the partnership of November 2017 that resulted in an exclusive Michelin tyre for the Hyundai Ioniq 5, covers joint work on tyres containing an increased level of eco-friendly materials, tyres optimised for next-generation EVs as well as a real-time tyre monitoring system for autonomous vehicles.
A new Vredestein tyre specifically developed for electric vehicles (EVs) will debut later this year. Sharing a few details about this upcoming all-season product, Apollo Tyres says it is currently evaluating the tyre through computer simulation and at proving grounds around the world following a “major new research and development programme” that includes close collaboration with leading car manufacturers.
For the past two years, Pirelli has supplied vehicle manufacturers with original equipment tyres tailored for electric and plug-in hybrid cars. The tyre maker is now offering Pirelli Elect products as replacement fitments and states that these are “now widely available” for aftermarket customers. Pirelli has integrated Elect into all P Zero, Cinturato and Scorpion lines, thereby offering the technology for summer, winter and all-season ranges.
Hankook Tire is unveiling three products at The Tire Cologne later this month, including its first tyre family designed for electric vehicles. Other newcomers include the latest winter tyre range as well as an airless concept tyre. The tyre maker invites visitors to the show to view these and other products at its booth in Hall 8.1, aisle C040/aisle D049.
Mercedes-Benz AG has selected Bridgestone as the tyre development partner for its Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX. The outcome? Bridgestone engineers collaborated with Mercedes-Benz to create custom-designed tyres to contribute to a real-world range of 1,000km on a single charge. According to Bridgestone, collaboration on this project “sets the stage for the future of EV tyres and is underpinned by a shared EV-ready vision between the companies.”
Sailun Tire Group says it has developed a technology that will “create a rubber revolution in the tyre industry.” Utilising liquid phase mixing, this new proprietary technology is known as EcoPoint³. According to Sailun, EcoPoint³ matches or exceeds tyre performance across the three key functional attributes of rolling resistance, wear resistance and wet grip performance. It will, the tyre maker confidently adds, “change the way that tyres are manufactured.”
Pirelli will supply P Zero Elect tyres to BMW for its iX electric SUV and specifically for the xDrive50 and sportier M60 versions. P Zero Elect tires are available for the BMW iX xDrive50 version in 255/50 R21 109Y XL and 275/40 R22 107Y XL sizes, with the latter size also available for the M60. All these tyres are marked with a star to indicate homologation for BMW. Pirelli’s OE supply range includes a 22-inch BMW iX tyre with even more grip than the other two. This tyre has an “I” on the side, in addition to the star marking.
Hankook will launch a new line of speciality electric vehicle tyres in May 2022. The line of Hankook iON tyres is developed to offer reduced rolling resistance and therefore an increase in range, lower tyre noise for more comfort, and higher resilience to deal with the higher torque of electric vehicles. The Korean manufacturer said that it is launching the iON line as a contribution to the transition towards zero emission vehicles. The iON line will be available initially in three designs for summer, winter, and all-season applications – the latter in North America, but with European seasonal fitments – in sizes between 18 and 22 inches. The tyres will respectively be launched as the Hankook Ventus iON S summer tyre pattern, the Hankook Winter i*cept iON (from September 2022), and the Hankook Ventus iON A. In addition to supplying its tyres to EV manufacturers and launching an EV tyre line in its domestic South Korean market, Hankook has recently aligned itself with a range of electric mobility projects, such as its title sponsorship of the inaugural Top Gear EV Awards in 2021. Hankook adds that further specific product designs are in the pipeline.
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