The take-make-dispose model behind traditional tyre manufacture is being challenged by a new UK company with greener ambitions and an innovative route to market.
Enso, which was formed just six years ago, has developed more efficient and eco-friendly tyres exclusively for electric vehicles, distributed directly to vehicle fleets on a subscription model.
"The advent of EVs and a growing awareness regarding the impact of tyre emissions on the environment inspired the formation of Enso," says Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, the company's founder and CEO whose background is private equity and venture capital. "Our purpose is to serve the EV sector in a sustainable way."
It's a noble aim but Enso which, last year, was named one of the UK's 'hottest start-ups', faces competition from the world's five major tyre makers that together produce two billion tyres annually. Last year, Pirelli launched its first high-load (HL) tyre for EVs that it claims can support 20% more weight than a regular one while offering high levels of grip and ride comfort plus extended vehicle range.
However, referring to Enso's recent success when, in a hypermiling exercise, a Renault Zoe shod with Enso tyres travelled farther than an identical car wearing OE Michelin Primacy rubber, Erlendsson says, "We've already shown a small company like ours can beat an OE. The EV tyre market is small; our mission is simply to claim our own space in it."
Erlendsson won't disclose his company's tyre formulations and, at least for the moment, can't reveal the company that produces his tyres other than to say, "Its plant is brand new and the best in the business." He will, though, talk about the other plank in Enso's business strategy, its tyre subscription model.
Not satisfied with offering the market a new, dedicated EV tyre with range and emissions-optimised characteristics, Enso is also side-stepping the traditional distributor sales channel and directly offering its tyres on subscription to fleets, a common practice in the bus and truck market but almost unheard of in the car and commercial sectors. An Enso subscription requires no upfront payment, while a typical charge to the customer is one pence per mile.
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This is all very well and good, but rolling resistance (and with it fuel consumption CO2 emissions, and EV range) is just one parameter that's important. And it must be balanced against other othten conflicting considerations like noise, life, grip, aquaplane resistance, cost etc. I'm not surprised that by focusing on just oner aspect gains can be made, so whether these tyres are any good or not remains to be proved.
Deeply sceptical on this one. Firstly there are more than a dozen top notch tyre companies who would have done this already. Secondly that wear is normally correlated to grip.
My sample of only one - tyres on my Model 3 - rears now done at 27k which I think is amazing, fronts have perhaps 4K remaining. I don't spare the horses either. The extra torque is an interesting argument, but it's so linear it very rarely threatens to break traction which is when wear really ramps up. The weight will be an issue by basic physics, but again only when sliding, on near edge of adhesion.