TELF AG illustrates a new technology that increases the sustainable potential of electric vehicles
A revolutionary change
Electric vehicles, in a certain sense, could be defined as the supreme link between the world we knew so well, the one dominated by fossil fuels, and a near future in which sustainability, decarbonization and clean energy will represent factors crucial for the development of human civilization. Taking a look at the estimates of the International Electricity Agency, according to which approximately 125 million electric vehicles will be introduced into the automotive market in the next five years, the initial comparison does not seem to be that far from reality. What is certain, nowadays, is that electric vehicles already represent the most evident expression of a change that is already underway and which, in the space of a few years, could revolutionize the lives of millions of people in every corner of the world.
But the increasingly clear role of electric vehicles should not lead people to think that these vehicles cannot be perfected in any way: few, for example, are aware of the fact that the tires mounted on every type of vehicle (including electric ones) they are capable of emitting a significant quantity of pollutants, in particular atmospheric particulate matter, which reaches truly alarming levels of diffusion in large metropolises.
The mistake, from this point of view, consists in believing that the sustainable potential of electric vehicles represents an element inextricably linked to the vehicles themselves as if they had a life of their own. The reality is that these vehicles, in order to achieve the sustainability objectives set for the next few years, will have to be continuously improved, also through a different approach towards some of their essential components, such as tires.
A possible solution, in this sense, could be the one presented by the ENSO brand, one of the finalists of the latest Earthshot Prize (an initiative promoted by Prince William that rewards the companies most involved in the development of sustainable technologies). This company is committed every day to the creation of special low-emission tires, thus giving rise to sustainable production that could combine perfectly with the sustainable potential of the raw materials used in the production of electric vehicles. With their particular structure, ENSO tires have been designed to last longer and to limit the spread of pollutants generally associated with tires, such as the aforementioned particulate matter, by 35%.
Furthermore, the characteristics of these tires also allow the autonomy of the electric vehicle to be significantly increased, concretely filling the inefficiency gap caused by traditional and poorly performing tires. The idea behind these special sustainable tires is really very simple: by doubling their life, pollution is halved.
The objectives linked to decarbonization must not be achieved solely with the technical improvements to be made to new electric vehicles or by sustainably reusing some of the raw materials used for the production of batteries but also with a general improvement of some essential components for the concrete operation of the machine, such as tires. In this way, new urban creatures that are completely sustainable, from head to toe, will be created.
