Getting a Grip: Measuring tyre emissions to reduce them for better air and faster decarbonisation of transport

Tyres are the rolling basis of all transport yet during use are a major but largely 'invisible' source of microplastic pollution affecting air, land and sea. The UK alone produces 530,000 tonnes of tyre waste a year, but before we even get to the discarded carcasses of old tyres each one will have shed at least a kilogram of weight in abraded particles mostly at the micro-level (<5mm). This is an enormous and overlooked problem for which there are currently no regulations and no consumer labelling. A further dimension of this problem is that it affects all future electric vehicles just as it affects the cars and other vehicles we are already familiar with. To assist the uptake of electric vehicles and the associated decarbonisation of the transport system, this project will develop a product that will collect, measure and characterise tyre emissions in real world conditions. The hardware is the basis also of a tyrewear methodology we will offer as a commercial service. The principle subcontractors for this product development are Staffordshire, UK company Alconbury Weston Ltd and Oxfordshire, UK company Scielutions Ltd., while the identified future customer for the product and service is London, UK-based company ENSO Ltd. The project lead is Emissions Analytics, UK-based experts in both exhaust and non-exhaust emissions. We have also identified a range of future customers, the immediate one being ENSO, a UK-based company that is developing better tyres and tyres as a service. Through ENSO we have potential future traction for a series of freight trial partners including DPD, Royal Mail and Gnewt; beyond it we have further interest from Geely and its principal brand Volvo and LEVC, which have committed to apply rigorous metrics to all components of future vehicles with a view to value retention and extended longevity. We believe that our product will materially contribute to accelerating the shift to low-carbon transportation by addressing one of the key hurdles to electric car adoption.