UK parcel delivery firm DPD has partnered with energy-efficient tyre producer ENSO to demonstrate EV tyres which reduce air and microplastic pollution during a London trial.
As part of Transport for London’s (TfL) FreightLab Innovation Challenge, the collaboration will compare ENSO’s range-extending and pollution-reducing EV tyres with industry benchmarks on a fleet of DPD’s Nissan e-NV200 vans.
Over a nine-month period, DPD’s all-electric delivery depots – Westminster and Hyde Park – will measure improvements in energy-efficiency and tyre durability.
DPD’s head of CSR, Olly Craughan, said: “Rather than just simply buying EVs, our whole approach to sustainability is about joining the dots and working with like-minded innovators to help solve the big challenges like air pollution.
“Through our involvement in London FreightLab we got to know ENSO and understand their vision. While EVs are the future, unless we also solve the problem of tyre PM pollution, we aren’t really unlocking their full potential.”
Tyres are largely made of fossil fuels, and as they wear down emit more air pollution than tailpipes with tyre particulate matter (PM) pollution also making up 28% of all primary ocean microplastics.
According to the partnership, tyre pollution is an even bigger problem for EVs as their increased weight and torque wears tyres faster, and so EVs often emit more tyre PM pollution than standard vehicles.
ENSO has therefore developed a new tyre that increases EV-range on a single charge, while reducing both air and micro plastic tyre PM pollution.
Craughan, added: “This trial is an important step for us and another industry first. ENSO’s approach fits perfectly with our vision to deliver green to 25 towns and cities by 2025 and we are really keen to see how their tyres perform on our EV fleet.”
