Michelin Energy E-V tyre

The Renault ZOE electric vehicle recently unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor show has a range of 208 kilometres, under near-urban driving conditions. What’s little known is that 6 percent of those kilometres (12.48 km to be precise) can be attributed to the new Michelin Energy E-V tyres that the wheels are shod with. 

The Renault ZOE features a Range OptimiZEr that combines three aspects namely, its new regenerative braking system, a heat pump and the Michelin Energy E-V tyres, to increase the vehicle’s efficiency. 

The new energy-efficient tyre was jointly developed by Renault and Michelin over a four-year research and innovation programme. All Renault ZOE models, equipped with 15-inch and 16-inch wheels will be fitted with Michelin Energy E-V tyres. 

Michelin’s goal is to design a tyre that helps reduce energy consumption while maintaining the same level of performance, tyre life and safety on slippery road surfaces as regular road tyres.  

Regular tyres account for up to 30 percent of the energy consumed by an electric powertrain. When a wheel rotates the contact patch of a tyre deforms, heating up its components and some of the energy transferred by the powertrain is lost. 

The Michelin Energy E-V tyre does not heat up as quickly as regular road tyres thus reducing energy consumption and increasing efficiency of the powertrain. However, the rubber in the contact patch with the road heats up quickly upon braking, shortening the braking distance of vehicles.