Continental says its seven-year relationship with bus operator Whitelaws has “gone from strength to strength.” The Lanarkshire-based firm was an early adopter of the ContiPressureCheck tyre pressure monitoring system. Now deployed across Whitelaws’ 23-strong fleet of service buses, ContiPressureCheck is a mainstay of the company’s tyre maintenance schedule.
The iON name is one we’ve recently become acquainted with on Hankook car tyres. With the launch of the iON Evo and iON winter, Hankook Tire has a range of summer and winter tyres specifically aimed at electric vehicles. The South Korean tyre maker is now launching a series of iON truck and bus tyres in its domestic market, and this is worth noting as Hankook says some of these products are being developed with European markets in mind.
Passenger cars now come with TPMS as standard, and before long this feature will also be required by law in the commercial segment. The European Union’s General Safety Regulation calls for newly homologated heavy commercial vehicle models such as buses and trucks, and their trailers, to be equipped with TPMS from July this year. Starting in 2024, all new vehicles must be equipped with TPMS. Continental is catering to this growth market by expanding its commercial vehicle servicing product range with TPMS Update Plus Transport, which turns its TPMS Pro device into a “comprehensive TPMS service tool for commercial vehicles.”
Last month, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) – a Northeast Ohio-based future mobility business – announced a collaboration to test intelligent tyre sensors and prototype tyres on SARTA’s fleet of diesel and zero emission hydrogen fuel cell-powered (HFC) buses.
The city bus market is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Electrification, autonomy and accessibility, including on-demand services, are revolutionising urban mobility. Goodyear has launched a new tyre to provide a solution for operators seeking to maximise the efficiency of their current fleet and prepare for the future; the UrbanMax MCA HL + is an all-position tyre with high-load structure, enabling the 8-tonne axle load capacity required by modern electric or hybrid buses.
Go-Ahead has extended its long working relationship with Michelin, committing to a further three-year Effitires contract with the tyre manufacturer’s Services & Solutions division. The contract covers 99 per cent of Go-Ahead’s UK 6,000-strong bus fleet and increasingly caters for electric buses.
Russian vehicle manufacturer GAZ has selected Kama Tyres to supply tyres for the new range of buses built by its PAZ (Pavlovo Bus Factory) subsidiary. It will deliver Kama NF 202 steer axle and NR 201 drive axle tyres in size 285/70R19.5.
Prinx Chengshan Tire Europe is launching its commercial vehicle tyre programme throughout Europe at the NUFAM 2021 commercial vehicle show, which will take place in Karlsruhe, Germany between 29 September and 3 October. The company will present a range of tyres for trucks, buses and trailers that covers regional transport, long-haul transport and construction site applications under the Austone brand name, as well as Fortune van tyres.
Northampton-based Britannia Bus, which operates five local service bus routes, is on course to eliminate instances of punctures across its six-strong fleet after beginning the switch to a Michelin tyre policy two years ago. Managing Director Derek Taylor says he would previously suffer a puncture within the fleet at least once a month, but since beginning the move to a Michelin X Multi Z policy, the new tyres have delivered 100 per cent uptime.
This summer, Hankook Tyre UK will exhibit its growing range of truck, bus and van tyres, including the new Laufenn truck tyre range, at the Commercial Vehicle Show. The UK’s largest and most comprehensive road transport and commercial vehicle event will take place between 31 August and 2 September; Hankook can be found in Hall 5, at stand 5B50.
April’s launch of Bridgestone’s quietest bus and coach tyre ever made followed 18 months of internal testing with its biggest fleet customer. The tyre is in part a product of a lengthy development project with Stagecoach, whose Manchester city centre fleet of green vehicles became the first in Europe to operate on the product. The U-AP 002 reduces rolling resistance, extends mileage, and reduces fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and total cost of ownership according to Bridgestone’s testing against its predecessor in size 275/70 R22.5. The tyre was developed to fulfil the requirements of an electric and hybrid bus fleet, a quickly growing target market.
The UK is set to have the largest electric bus fleet in Europe by 2024, with the number of buses projected to grow by close to 180 per cent from approximately 1,000 to 2,800 vehicles, according to forecasts by Accuracy, the global independent advisory firm.
Poland currently has the second-largest fleet of Zero Emission (ZE) buses in Europe with around 800 ZE buses. The Netherlands and Italy have the third and fourth largest fleets with around 600 buses each. Germany only has 550 in its urban fleet, the fifth largest in Europe. France is currently in sixth place with around 500, around half the number of ZE buses in the UK currently.
The Hankook Smart Touring AL22 is specifically designed for bus and coach applications, and Hankook Tire & Technology is selling the tyre in all major global markets. After its launch in Europe, North America and the Middle East, Hankook is now introducing the Smart Touring AL22 in Asia.
As of 1 May, Michelin is offering a range of electric bus tyres that can also be adapted for use on conventional vehicles. Although it developed the Michelin X Incity EV Z for electric vehicles, the tyre maker says the range is “especially efficient when used on traditional buses.”
Giti Tire has updated its Giti GAU867v1 all-position urban bus tyre range. The manufacturer’s developed tyre is particularly targeting the growing electric bus market. It is manufactured to handle higher load and improve wear resistance. Giti has also added a new size to the range in the 265/70R19.5 143/141 J. The existing 275/70R22.5 size now has an updated load index of 152/148 J.
SARTA
Michelin
Bridgestone
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