Goodyear tyres OE on BMW iX
The BMW iX will be available with Goodyear tyres as original equipment. Goodyear is supplying two EfficientGrip Performance 2 dimensions for factory fitment on the new electric SAV.
The BMW iX will be available with Goodyear tyres as original equipment. Goodyear is supplying two EfficientGrip Performance 2 dimensions for factory fitment on the new electric SAV.
UK car production fell 20.1 per cent in January, to 68,790 units. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) says this is the weakest January total since 2009. Output was down 17,262 units against the same month last year, which itself was one of the worst Januarys on record when volumes were impacted by friction in the new post-Brexit trading arrangements, extended shutdowns and the pandemic.
The producer of one in every three car batteries in use around the world has announced a new safety critical battery for electric vehicles. Clarios Smart AGM will monitor its performance in real-time, deliver continuous low-voltage power to optimise performance of the low-voltage power supply, anticipate the need for battery maintenance and provide safety critical operations.
With more than 620 miles on a single battery charge, Mercedes-Benz says it is “setting new standards for electric range and efficiency” with the Vision EQXX. It attributes this generous range to numerous factors, including ultra-low rolling resistance tyres from Bridgestone.
The latest figures from the SMMT confirm that electric vehicle uptake is accelerating, with 21,726 vehicles sold in November, equating to 18.8 per cent of the market. However, motorists embracing electrification for the first time need to consider the impact of harsh weather conditions on battery performance, says Venson Automotive Solutions.
Growing confidence in second-hand electric cars is signalled by EVs pushing toward second place as the fuel of choice – particularly among sales of one-year-old cars. According to figures from online car supermarket BuyaCar.co.uk, EVs registered in 2020 have been representing up to 27 per cent of all one-year-old car sales in recent weeks.
The latest iteration of the Jaguar I-Pace is available with Continental tyres as original equipment. Jaguar Land Rover is fitting the PremiumContact 6 on its all-electric SUV in size 255/40 R22 103V XL. This original equipment tyre for the I-Pace features ContiSeal puncture protection, a technology that Continental says can prevent the adverse consequences of around 80 per cent of all common punctures.
London-based company Enso Tyres has won the LA New Mobility Challenge 2021, an event co-hosted by CoMotion LA and Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and supported by the UK Government. The judging panel awarded Enso for tyres that increase electric vehicle range while reducing both air pollution and micro-plastic tyre particulate matter pollution.
When we first reported Goodyear’s provision of original equipment tyres to Cupra, the arrangement involved a single size of Eagle F1 SuperSport for the Formentor VZ5. The tyre maker’s OE supply arrangement with Cupra has since expanded with the selection of a range of Goodyear summer tyres as original equipment fitments for the Cupra Born, the brand’s first fully electric road car.
New plug-in vehicle uptake rates have accelerated so rapidly that the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) forecasts more of these joining Britain’s roads in 2021 than during the whole of the last decade. It expects that around 287,000 zero-emission cars will be added to the UK car parc this year, a figure equalling around one-sixth of all new cars. A total of just 271,962 new battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (BEVs & PHEVs) were registered between 2010 and 2019. Furthermore, current forecasts suggest that BEV registrations will exceed those of diesel by the end of 2022.
Guinness World Records has acknowledged the Hankook Tire-supported ‘Volkswagen ID.4: Great Roadshow through the U.S.’ as the longest continuous journey by an electric vehicle (non-solar) in a single country. The 35,000-mile trip took place between 13 July and 18 October. The team’s VW ID.4 visited all 48 contiguous US states in all-electric mode, thereby breaking the previous record that was set in 2019.
Changan, one of China’s top-selling domestic automotive brands, has unveiled its first all-electric model, the C385. Zhongce Rubber Group (ZC Rubber) is supplying original equipment tyres to the new electric Changan, which will wear the SU318a all-season tyre in size 245/45 R19.
The rise of electric vehicles, continuing to set a good pace of growth in UK and European markets despite the difficulties facing new car sales over the last 18 months, is one of the central pillars of mobility’s dominant megatrend, sustainability. Given the UK’s growing demand for the various forms of electric-powered cars – battery electric (BEV), hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and mild hybrid electric (MHEV) – it is clear that servicing this section of the market will be vital in the long-term to tyre fitters. At the same time numbers remain relatively small in comparison to the level of interest they generate, though the growth is impressive.
Bridgestone has developed a broad range of technologies and partnerships designed to address the coming wave of electric vehicles. The tyre manufacturer has said its tyre range for electric vehicles will make up one-fifth of its original equipment range by 2024. These tyres contain several technologies that Bridgestone has been developing over the last few years. It worked with BMW to develop dedicated tyres for the i3, i3s and i8 EVs, with its proprietary ologic technology. Ologic offers rolling resistance and aerodynamics benefits. Bridgestone’s Enliten technology meanwhile helps to reduce the weight of tyres by 10 per cent without compromising on wear life – rolling resistance can be reduced by up to 20 per cent, according to the company.
Bridgestone has announced a new long-term partnership with electric vehicle charging solutions supplier EVBox. The partnership aims to expand Europe’s charging infrastructure with the installation of up to 3,500 new charging ports across Bridgestone’s European retail and service network – including Bridgestone’s retail brands like Speedy and First Stop – in a five-year project. Bridgestone calls the partnership the latest part of its commitment to help shape a sustainable future of mobility, supporting the adoption of EVs. The project will begin in France and Italy and expand into the UK, Germany, Poland, Spain, and other European countries.
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