The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) says it “applauds” the passing of a resolution that reverses a prior regulation imposing stricter emission limits on rubber tyre manufacturers. USTMA welcomes the new H.J.Res. 61 resolution as one that “reduces financial burdens on tyre manufacturing facilities” in the USA.
Garage equipment company SharkEye Wheel Aligners UK has made the case for making wheel alignment part of the MOT test. The company argues that ensuring UK road vehicles are properly aligned would save motorists billions of pounds a year. Proper alignment helps to minimise rolling resistance, as well as ensuring that tyres wear evenly, increasing their longevity. The firm used the occasion of a visit from Jo White MP to its new service centre in Worksop, Nottinghamshire to put forward its argument. SharkEye’s message comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer outlines his UK’s ambitious ‘net zero’ targets at the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan.
On 24 August the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) published a foresight brief on the subject of “Vehicle Tyre particles in the environment”. Written by a panel of academics and researchers – namely Reto Gieré, University of Pennsylvania; Jaydee Edwards, University of Pennsylvania; Volker Dietrich, German Meteorological Service; Radek Stoček, Polymer Research Lab and Tomáš Bata University, Zlín; as well as Gert Heinrich, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany – the briefing basically called for more work on the part of road, automotive and tyre industry stakeholders and ultimately better policy-based controls from governments.
With September marking the peak of the UK’s MOT season, Cataclean, the provider of fuel additives, is highlighting its popular product range that helps reduce emissions-related failures, supporting both garages and drivers. This year, with an estimated 34 million MOTs due, Cataclean is reinforcing its commitment to vehicle performance, reliability and fuel economy. The brand’s ‘8-in-1’ fuel and exhaust system cleaners range helps to restore performance, improve fuel economy, extend engine component life and reduce emissions.
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has approved Pireli’s near-term and long-term targets on the reduction of absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The targets were communicated last March during the presentation of the 2024-2025 Business Plan update.
On 5 August, Knorr-Bremse announced the sale of its subsidiary, GT Emissions Systems, to Rcapital Partners, a UK-based private equity fund. GT Emissions Systems, located in Peterlee, County Durham, is a leading supplier of emission control systems for diesel engines used in both on-highway commercial vehicles and off-highway vehicles. The transaction is anticipated to close in the fourth quarter of this year.
Leading aftermarket emissions products supplier BM Catalysts will exhibit at Automechanika Frankfurt (10-14 September, Hall 3.0, Stand E30 at Messe Frankfurt), supporting a period of European growth. The company said it will highlight its latest range addition, Gasoline Particulate Filters (GPFs), reflecting the company’s dedication to enhancing its offering to meet changing market demands.
Klarius Products has extended its catalogue of aftermarket emissions components with 44 new parts, the highlight of which is an exhaust system designed for the Mini Cooper. Klarius says its new parts for the iconic car with the British heritage highlight its commitment to quality and service.
Michelin reports that it is presenting a “new step forward with the development of a system for analysing small particles” as well as “the first research results to the scientific community and industry” during Tire Technology 2024. Details of this research were published in December 2022 and in March 2023. More recently, Michelin has made the system for analysing emitted light particles available to the tyre industry and to ETRMA (European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers’ Association). The ETRMA will furthermore conduct a campaign of measurements on a larger scale with the aid of an independent third party. The campaign will launch this year and will continue for around 18 months.
The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) has granted Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI) certification for its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2030, deeming these to be consistent with scientific evidence. For Scope 1 and Scope 2, SRI aims to reduce absolute emissions by 55%, compared with 2017 levels. SRI’s target for Scope 3 and Category 1 is to reduce absolute emissions by 25%, compared with 2021.
The CEOs of 10 leading tyre manufacturers have gathered to confirm a two-year Tire Industry Project (TIP) workplan focused on “sustainability in the tyre lifecycle”. The plans includes targets relating to tyre-emission research and end-of-life tyre management amongst other points.
A week before we went to press, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the UK would no-longer be phasing out ICE vehicles by 2030. Rather, the deadline would be pushed back to 2035. Not only was that decision a u-turn, it was a policy decision explicitly designed to slow down sales of electric vehicles, as number 10’s official statement at the time testifies: “Under revised plans, the Government will move back the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by five years, so all sales of new cars from 2035 will be zero emission. This will enable families to wait to take advantage of falling prices over the coming decade if they wish to.”
In the week prior to Rishi Sunak’s announcement that the ICE ban would be pushed back from 2030 to 2035, 42 per cent of drivers planning to buy a new car said they expected it to be a low-emissions vehicle (either fully electric or hybrid), according to research carried out for Kwik Fit. However, following the announcement, Kwik Fit’s researchers found that the proportion planning to opt for a low-emissions vehicle has now dropped back to 38 per cent. The figures indicate that the number of car buyers planning to choose an EV or hybrid has dropped by more than two million since the ban has moved from 2030 to 2035.
On 17 August 2023, several government departments in Shandong Province, China jointly issued a notice relaxing regulations for establishing high-end tyre projects. A more detailed explanation is that some new tyre manufacturing projects will no longer need to eliminate the original production lines with the same energy consumption.
In May this year, China’s environmental protection department imposed a penalty on the Cooper Kunshan factory, restricting production on the grounds of violating the “Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law”. At the same time, the tyre manufacturing base was fined 240,000 yuan.
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