Tires
Studies have shown that more than 80% of tire-related CO2 emissions occur in the use phase. But tire makers have had limited options when it comes to improving fuel efficiency without compromising grip or durability. Tires typically employ silica to improve fuel efficiency and grip, but this compromises wear. Carbon black can be used to reintroduce wear, but it comes at the cost of fuel efficiency and grip.
CarbonX® is a new material whose unique structure makes it possible to go beyond these limitations – offering a unique alternative to conventional fillers that can help manufacturers meet the increasing demand for sustainability without compromising performance or safety.
CarbonX® has been used to replace various carbon blacks and silica across different tire formulations. And in every case, it was able to improve one or more parameters without compromising performance the others.
Click through our business cases below to see CarbonX® in action…
Commercial Successes
Safer, longer-lasting winter PCR tires
CarbonX worked with a premium European tire maker where CarbonX® was used to improve durability and grip without compromising the already-exceptional fuel efficiency of its winter PCR tire. The company is currently using CarbonX® to produce approximately 600,000 winter tires, commercially available since early 2022.
Faster road racing tires: Ere Genus CCX
CarbonX partnered with Ere Research, an award-winning designer and manufacturer of high-end cycling components, to improve upon the company’s already successful Genus CC tire. CarbonX® was able to improve speed, grip and puncture resistance at the same time. Rolling resistance tests confirmed a reduction of two watts. The new Ere Genus CCX was launched in May 2022.
Commercial Successes
Safer, longer-lasting winter PCR tires
CarbonX worked with a premium European tire maker where CarbonX® was used to improve durability and grip without compromising the already-exceptional fuel efficiency of its winter PCR tire. The company is currently using CarbonX® to produce approximately 600,000 winter tires, commercially available since early 2022.
Faster road racing tires: Ere Genus CCX
CarbonX partnered with Ere Research, an award-winning designer and manufacturer of high-end cycling components, to improve upon the company’s already successful Genus CC tire. CarbonX® was able to improve speed, grip and puncture resistance at the same time. Rolling resistance tests confirmed a reduction of two watts. The new Ere Genus CCX was launched in May 2022.
Business Cases
Summer PCR Tires
X5 vs. N375 + Silica
Maximizing fuel efficiency and durability without compromising safety / for greater sustainability
To accelerate innovation and explore the full potential of CarbonX® in tires, we set out to formulate our own summer tread compound. CarbonX® was able to improve fuel efficiency, wear, and grip simultaneously by substituting silica as well as N375 – making our new tread compound truly unique. Encouraged by our success, we decided to test the performance and sustainability CarbonX® can bring in the real world.
Winter PCR Tires
X1 vs. N375
Improving wear resistance without compromising fuel efficiency or grip
Using CarbonX® to replace N375 in a commercial winter tire formulation resulted in better abrasion resistance, durability, and winter handling without compromising rolling resistance or grip. Substituting carbon blacks with CarbonX® could help make tires that already have good fuel efficiency and safety more durable and longer-lasting. Reducing tread thickness results in lighter tires, which also improves fuel efficiency while reducing TRWP, CO2 emissions, and tire waste.
Truck Tires
X1 vs. N115
Improving fuel efficiency without sacrificing high wear resistance
Truck tires are designed to maximize wear resistance in order to balance out extra-heavy loads. High-surface, high-structure carbons like N115 are used to meet high wear resistance targets. But it comes at the cost of fuel efficiency. Using N115 as benchmark, CarbonX® was able to improve the rolling resistance and still meet the wear target – adding fuel efficiency without compromising durability.
CarbonX® compounds also have particularly low hysteresis, so that heat build-up also improved. The combination of lower heat build-up and high durability contribute to safer, longer-lasting tires.
Bicycle Racing Tires
X5 vs. N200/N300
Increasing speed while maintaining grip and wear resistance
The ideal road racing tire maximizes speed and grip so cyclists can go faster without losing control. Tire makers typically employ a mixture of carbons to reach an optimum between speed and grip, but neither can be improved without compromising the other. CarbonX® was able to dramatically improve rolling resistance without compromising grip or wear. This makes tires much faster without compromising safety or longevity – allowing cyclists to focus on what they do best and increasing their chances for success.
Life Cycle Assessment
Emission savings can vary widely depending on average fuel consumption, fuel efficiency, tire lifetime, and the emission intensity of the electricity grid. We use life cycle assessments to validate the CO2 savings that can be achieved by using CarbonX® as a tire tread material in EV and ICE vehicle tires for Europe and for the US.
The CO2 savings below are based on our own re-treaded tire where CarbonX® was used to substitute both silica and N375.
Using CarbonX can reduce
76 Million tCO2 annually
EU
US
35’000 km per year 250 g CarbonX® used per tire 56,000 miles | Tire lifetime 250 g CarbonX® used per tire6.5%
Rolling Resistance Improvement
kg CO2/tire
6 L/100km consumptiontCO2/tCBX
3 tCO2 emitted in production6.5%
Rolling Resistance Improvement
kg CO2/tire
22 miles/gallon | consumptiontCO2/tCBX
3 tCO2 emitted in production
35’000 km per year 250 g CarbonX® used per tire 56,000 miles | Tire lifetime 250 g CarbonX® used per tire6.5%
Rolling Resistance Improvement
kg CO2/tire
230 gCO2 /kWhtCO2/tCBX
3 tCO2 emitted in production6.5%
Rolling Resistance Improvement
kg CO2/tire
385 gCO2/kWhtCO2/tCBX
3 tCO2 emitted in production
Life Cycle Assessment
Emission savings can vary widely depending on average fuel consumption, fuel efficiency, tire lifetime, and the emission intensity of the electricity grid. We use life cycle assessments to validate the CO2 savings that can be achieved by using CarbonX® as a tire tread material in EV and ICE vehicle tires for Europe and for the US.
The CO2 savings below are based on our own re-treaded tire where CarbonX® was used to substitute both silica and N375.
Using CarbonX can reduce
76 Million tCO2 annually
EU
35’000 km per year 250 g CarbonX® used per tire6.5%
Rolling Resistance Improvement
kg CO2/tire
6 L/100km consumptiontCO2/tCBX
3 tCO2 emitted in production
35’000 km per year 250 g CarbonX® used per tire6.5%
Rolling Resistance Improvement
kg CO2/tire
230 gCO2 /kWhtCO2/tCBX
3 tCO2 emitted in production
US
56,000 miles | Tire lifetime 250 g CarbonX® used per tire6.5%
Rolling Resistance Improvement
kg CO2/tire
22 miles/gallon | consumptiontCO2/tCBX
3 tCO2 emitted in production
56,000 miles | Tire lifetime 250 g CarbonX® used per tire6.5%
Rolling Resistance Improvement
kg CO2/tire
385 gCO2/kWhtCO2/tCBX
3 tCO2 emitted in production
Our Tires
We wanted to show that the performance and the CO2 savings CarbonX® can bring translates into real tires. Moreover, our technology can be tailored to any formulation, scaled up in existing tire manufacturing facilities, and developed from concept-to-tire in less than two years. So we decided to make our own tires and test them on the road.
Our re-treaded tires were tested by Prüflabor Nord according to standards specified in the EU regulations for tyre energy labelling. The road tests confirmed that CarbonX® was able to improve rolling resistance by 6.5% without affecting wet grip or noise.
Read more about the CO2 savings of our re-treaded tire here: [LCA tab]
CarbonX® exhibited excellent processability and did not experience the property losses that typically occur after compounding and in the curing process – underscoring the uniqueness of our material.
Are you interested in working with CarbonX or learning more about a specific business case?
Contact us using the form below…