Omni United is moving towards a more sustainable future via sustainable driving and carbon neutral manufacturing which it began in 2013 with its Radar Tyre brand. Now, the company is introducing a two-pronged electric vehicle (EV) tyre strategy. The first phase will see the development of EV-compatible tyre ranges while the second phase will result in a dedicated speciality EV tyre line-up.
December is approaching and so is the Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV. Europe’s first dedicated all-season electric vehicle tyre will arrive next month, with Apollo Tyres promising a “range of advanced design features and materials.” Developed specifically for year-round use by battery electric vehicles and hybrids, Apollo has created the tyre to deliver greater driving range while providing superior levels of grip and traction in all conditions – including ice and snow.
Earlier this year Hankook introduced its iON range of electric vehicle (EV) tyres to the world. Here, the global tyre maker gives us a unique insight into the company’s ground-breaking range.
At the end of September Hankook announced that, as of next season, it will be the exclusive technology partner and tyre supplier of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The announcement was made at an event in The Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Austria on 27 September, where Tyres & Accessories was present to witness Hankook being officially presented with the newly developed Hankook iON race tyres.
Having introduced its iON range of electric vehicle tyres – along with the company’s philosophy of specialist tyres for electric vehicle applications – back in May, Hankook has now formally introduced its iON winter tyre line, which is available in a range of 18 to 22 inch sizes. Following on from the iON evo, Hankook’s summer tyre, the new Hankook iON winter is the second member of the new, global “iON” tyre family for premium electric vehicles.
Kumho Tyre (UK) supported the Max Adventure team as it beat its original time target on the Driven To Extremes Euro EV Marathon. The team covered its 3,174 mile-route from Oslo to Portugal in just 3.75 days in the fully electric Kia EV6 ‘Air’ fitted with Kumho’s Ecsta PS71 EV tyre. The team knocked 47 minutes off the time set by Sir Stirling Moss in 1952, adding an extra country to the list of those visited. The challenge was designed to show that a standard EV and current charging infrastructure can now allow drivers to cover vast distances in a short time. The Kumho Ecsta PS71 EV is an original fitment on the Kia EV6, with the 235/55R19 size used by the challenge car throughout the trial.
The new Hyundai Ioniq 6 will roll off factory lines on Nexen Tire’s all-season N’fera AU7 EV and the N’fera Sport EV. The latest electric car from Hyndai boasts a range potential of more than 500km per charge. It contains a range of lighting technologies that communicate with vehicles and people, including dual-colour ambient mood lamps, flexible and comfortable indoor spaces, and interactive pixel lights. It uses a 400V/800V multi-fast charging system and V2L functionality in addition to offering dynamic driving performance, cutting-edge safety and convenience specifications.
After picking the brains of 2,000 motorists in a YouGov commissioned survey, Bridgestone discovered that just eight per cent of respondents know the differences between tyres tailored for electric vehicles (EVs) and standard tyres. It has thus decided to educate motorists on the benefits – including financial – of these specialised tyres.
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.”
The new BMW iX will roll off production lines on Pirelli P Zero Elect tyres. The electric SUV’s xDrive50 version will run on the 255/50R21 109Y XL and 275/40R22 107Y XL sizes, with the latter size also available for the sportier M60 model. Pirelli will mark these tyres with a star on the sidewall, indicating that they have been developed specially for BMW as part of its ‘perfect fit’ philosophy. Pirelli will also supply to BMW a special, grippy 22-inch tyre designed for maximum performance. This tyre has an “I” on the side, in addition to the star marking.
With the latest SMMT data naming the Tesla Model 3 as the most popular new-car in December as well as the second most popular in 2021 – no-one can deny that the era of electric vehicles is well and truly upon. However, while internal combustion engines (ICE) have generally separated engine, wheel and tyre, electric vehicles are bringing these vital mobility components closer together than ever.
On 6 January REE Automotive announced the appointment of David Goldberg as the company’s chief financial officer (CFO). Effective Feb 2022, Goldberg joins REE from Magna International, one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, where he is currently senior vice president of corporate development, following a role as vice president of finance and corporate development at the company.
Royal Mail is embarking on six- to nine-month trial of Enso Tyres’ electric van-orientated tyres. The trial, a partnership between Royal Mail, Transport for London (TfL) and Enso, aims to make “Electric Vehicles (EVs) even cleaner to further improve air quality”, according to the stakeholders. According, to Tyres & Accessories’s 2021 survey of public tyre fleets, Royal Mail is the second-largest fleet in the UK.
TyreSafe is advising owners of electric vehicles (EVs) to “pay close attention to the tyres they choose when the originals need replacing” because “increasingly, the tyres fitted are specifically designed for use on EVs and can be significantly different to the ‘normal’ tyres…”. Specifically, TyreSafe is warning EV owners that fitting the wrong type of tyre could result in “loss of range, extra noise, accelerated wear and the risk of failing while being driven, which could result in a serious incident”.
Sailun Tire Group is developing the ERange EV, tyre line-up in order to cater for growing demand for electric vehicles. According to Sailun Tire Americas, the new range is expected to reach the (US) market in 2022. At the point of its launch, the ERange EV portfolio will offer 90 per cent coverage of the electric vehicles on sale.
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Hankook
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REE
REE; Jason Cipparrone
Royal Mail
TyreSafe
Sailun Tire Americas