英新興企業、ＥＶ用タイヤの開発で注目　摩耗による粉じん抑制

【ニューヨークＡＦＰ＝時事】電気自動車（ＥＶ）は走行中に二酸化炭素（ＣＯ２）を排出しないものの、タイヤの摩耗により粉じんが生じる問題については克服できていない。この問題に取り組み、ＥＶ用タイヤの改良を手掛けている英新興企業が注目を集めている。（写真は資料写真）
　タイヤ摩耗粉じんはマイクロプラスチックの一種だ。海洋に流れ込むマイクロプラスチックの最大２８％はタイヤ由来とされる。
　分析会社のエミッション・アナリティクスが今年行った調査によれば、ほぼ同じ大きさの米ＥＶ大手テスラの「モデルＹ」と韓国・起亜自動車のハイブリッド車「ニロ」を比較した場合、発生するタイヤ摩耗粉じんはモデルＹの方が２６％多かった。調査報告は理由として、重量が重いことに加え、加速性能が高い点を挙げている。
　こうしたＥＶの特徴に適したタイヤの開発を手掛けているのがＥＮＳＯ社だ。創業者のグンレグル・エルレンドソン最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）は１９日、米ニューヨークでＡＦＰの取材に対し、高品質の原料と設計の改善を通じてタイヤの耐久性向上を目指していると語った。
　英ロンドン交通局が行った実装試験によると、ＥＮＳＯのタイヤは、タイヤ摩耗粉じんの発生量が３５％少なく、走行距離を１０％伸ばすことが確認されたという。
　同社はこの日、国連総会に合わせて開催された、環境問題の解決に向けた革新的な取り組みを表彰する「アースショット賞」の選考会で、最終候補（１５社）に選ばれた。授賞者は１１月、シンガポールで発表される予定だ。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/09/20-16:38）

Electric cars are widely hailed as the future of transport, but even though they eliminate the issue of fuel emissions from tailpipes, the problem of particle pollution as a result of tire wear hasn't been resolved.
A British company selected as a finalist for Prince William's Earthshot Prize now promises more durable tires that increase vehicle range and decrease the emission of toxic chemicals.
We have here a very harmful and hidden pollution, Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, founder and CEO of ENSO, which caters specifically to electric vehicles, told AFP. We're exposed to it whenever we breathe.
Because of decades of regulations that brought about improvements to internal combustion engines, tire and brake wear are today responsible for significantly more small particle pollution than vehicle exhausts, studies show.
Tire wear particles are also microplastics, with emerging evidence linking them to a range of impacts on heart and lung health, as well as cancers, in addition to widespread environmental harm.
For example, as much as 28 percent of the microplastics that reach the ocean comes from tire wear.
Some research suggests that electric cars might be worse offenders than gasoline and diesel powered vehicles on this front.
A study carried out by the research company Emissions Analytics this year found that the Tesla Model Y was responsible for 26 percent more emissions than the similar-sized hybrid Kia Niro. The report's authors said the electric car's heavier weight and harder acceleration was to blame.
Erlendsson disagrees with the idea that electric cars are uniquely problematic -- rather, the tire pollution problem has grown as vehicles become heavier, with the US market in particular trending towards large SUVs.
By using higher-grade raw materials combined with better engineering, ENSO has been able to improve its tires in a market that hasn't prioritized durability.
During real-world trials organized by Transport for London, the company's tires were shown to reduce particulate emissions by 35 percent and increase driving range by 10 percent.
The energy saving we deliver is a direct carbon reduction because we still don't live in a world where electricity comes only from non-carbon sources, said Erlendsson.
By contrast, the wider industry is focused on cost-saving, making tires that don't last as long and need to be replaced faster, in order to boost sales. Researchers in the field of tire pollution are demanding stricter regulation, a call Erlendsson agrees with.
All that said, there are limits, he stressed. We won't make tires last forever, but we can severely reduce the pollution that comes off them, he said.
But of course, if people don't want to be generating tire pollution, they shouldn't be driving.
ENSO was among 15 Earthshot Finalists honored on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
They are now in the running to receive one of five one million pound prizes ($1.24 million) awarded at a ceremony in Singapore later this year.