Delivery company DPD is joining forces with the electric vehicle tyre company ENSO to conduct trials of a new tyre for commercial EVs, that is designed to reduce air and microplastic pollution.

Tyres are largely made of fossil fuels, and as they wear down emit more air pollution than tailpipes with tyre particulate matter (PM) pollution also making up 28 per cent of all primary ocean microplastics. Tyre pollution is an even bigger problem for EVs as their increased weight and torque wears tyres faster, and so EVs often emit more tyre PM pollution than standard vehicles.

ENSO has developed a revolutionary new tyre that increases EV-range on a single charge, while reducing both air and micro plastic tyre PM pollution.

ENSO’s range-extending and pollution-reducing EV tyres recently broke a world hypermiling record, achieving the longest distance ever driven by a Renault Zoe on a single charge (475 miles at Thruxton Race Circuit), in partnership with Mission Motorsport, the UK Armed Forces’ motorsport charity.

During the trial with DPD, ENSO will compare its innovative tyres with industry benchmarks on a fleet of DPD’s Nissan e-NV200 vans, at its all-electric delivery depots – Westminster and Hyde Park – over a 9-month period, measuring improvements in energy-efficiency and tyre durability, against tyre industry benchmarks.

DPD’s Head of CSR, Olly Craughan, commented: “Rather than just simply buying EVs, our whole approach to sustainability is about joining the dots and working with like-minded innovators to help solve the big challenges like air pollution.  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.”

The DPD/ENSO trial is a part of Transport for London’s FreightLab Innovation Challenge, which is encouraging innovations that will tackle London’s air pollution and road congestion due to increased freight movement in the Greater London area.  The London FreightLab Innovation Challenge is backed by the Mayor of London.