Enso claims “successful” results from London tire tests

London - UK-based Enso has “successfully proven” the benefits of its specially developed electric vehicle (EV) tires in a 15-month trial, the company announced 14 Feb.

In tests conducted for the TfL FreightLab ‘innovation challenge,’ Enso claims its “specially tuned” products outperformed standard-fit tires in terms of particulate emissions and rolling resistance.

Delivery vehicle fleets from FrieghtLab partners, including the Nissan eNV200 and Peugeot Partner EV, were tested against those fitted with standard fit premium tires and budget brands. 

Particulate matter (PM) emissions were reduced by up to 35% - compared to budget brands - while vehicles fitted with Enso tires showed energy efficiency improvements of up to 10%.

The release, however, did not provide further test data or details of the other tires used in the trials.

In response to ERJ’s enquiry on this point, Enso CEO Gunnlaugur Erlendsson explained: “The test data is however not available as it also includes third-party data from our trial partners.”

The London-headquartered company did state that test measurements were overseen by partner Emissions Analytics (EA), an independent specialist in emissions measurement and monitoring.

Enso went on to reference that a new EURO 7 emission standard for vehicle manufacturers will be introduced from 2025 and will include a minimum standard for tire PM emissions for the first time. 

“One of FreightLab’s strategic aims was to find innovative solutions to minimise urban pollution by exploring new innovations,” said Rikesh Shah, head of open innovation, Transport for London (TfL).

“We're pleased to see this promising new data and are excited to see how the market responds to this,” Shah added in the Enso release.