DPD has partnered with tyre manufacturer ENSO to conduct full road trials of a new tyre doe commercial EVs, that are designed to reduce air and microplastic pollution.
The trail is part of Transport for London’s ‘Innovation Challenge’ which is aimed at reducing air pollution and London’s congestion.
As tyres wear down over time, they release microscopic pieces of plastic into the air which eventually gets into sources of water, which not only destroys wildlife, bit also poses a threat to humanity.
Electric Vehicles can end up producing more microplastic pollution than ‘regular’ vehicles, as they are typically heavier, and thus lead to greater wear and tear of their tyres.
ENSO, headquartered in London, is one of the winners of TfL’s London FreightLab Innovation Challenge, and has developed a new tyre that increases EV range on a single charge, while also reducing air and microplastic tyre pollution.
During the trial with DPD, ENSO will compare its tyres with industry benchmarks on a fleet of DPD’s Nissan e-NV200 vans, at its all-electric delivery depots in Westminster and at Hyde Park, over a nine month period, measuring improvements in energy-efficiency and tyre durability, against tyre industry benchmarks.
Olly Craughan, Head of CSR at DPD said: “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.
“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.”
Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, ENSO Founder and CEO added: “ENSO’s innovative EV tyres are designed to be EV-range-extending and PM-pollution-reducing, and through TFL’s London FreightLab trial with DPD, we will demonstrate their importance in reducing air-pollution in London.
“ENSO’s mission is to disrupt the £200billion global tyre industry and deliver the most efficient, durable and sustainable tyres for EVs. By developing better EV tyres, we can reduce pollution and carbon emissions in line with the UK, and indeed global commitments, to reach Net-Zero.”
