DPD is joining forces with electric vehicle tyre developer ENSO to trial a new tyre that can reduce air and microplastic pollution from electric vans.

ENSO’s range-extending and pollution-reducing EV tyres will be used on a fleet of DPD’s Nissan e-NV200 vans as part of the nine-month road trials

The full road trials are being run as part of Transport for London’s FreightLab Innovation Challenge, which encourages innovations that will tackle London’s air pollution and road congestion due to increased freight movement in the Greater London area.

Awareness of the dangers of air pollution from both tyres and brakes is fast-growing. In 2019, the Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) – an expert committee to Defra – called for urgent action to address the problem, which is predicted to account for 10% of national emissions of PM2.5 by 2030

Research published by Emissions Analytics in March 2020 found pollution from tyre wear can be 1,000 times worse than what comes out of a car’s exhaust.

The problem is being exacerbated by the increasing popularity of large, heavy vehicles such as SUVs, and growing demand for electric vehicles, which are heavier than standard cars because of their batteries and have increased torque.

And vehicle tyre wear pollution is completely unregulated, unlike exhaust emissions.

It’s an area that ENSO, headquartered in London, is innovating on. The firm 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 reducing both air and micro plastic tyre PM pollution.

Its range-extending and pollution-reducing EV tyres have already been put to effect in the Renault Zoe’s recent hypermiling world record and will now be used on a fleet of DPD’s Nissan e-NV200 vans.

The tyres will be compared with industry benchmarks over a nine-month period at DPD’s all-electric delivery depots at Westminster and Hyde Park. The research will measure improvements in energy-efficiency and tyre durability, against tyre industry benchmarks.

It’s part of DPD’s strategy to be the most responsible and sustainable city centre delivery company and a leader in the move to electric vehicles in the UK – the business is doubling the number of EVs in its fleet this year to almost 1,500 with the UK’s first Maxus e Deliver electric van order but it’s also working on the wider picture – such as by rolling out a major new air quality monitoring programme in the UK,

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.”

Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, ENSO founder and CEO, added: “ENSO’s mission is to disrupt the £200bn 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.”