Tyre Asia – May-June 2018

82 Tyre Asia April/May 2018

TECHNOLOGY

One of the major challenges before the automotive industry

is to improve its sustainable performance. Sustainable

value approach is the first value-based method for

assessing corporate sustainability performance. Companies

not only use economic capital but also environmental

and social resources to create value. Sustainable value

is created whenever a company uses its economical,

environmental and social resources more efficiently than

the benchmark, says Pradeep Chandrasekaran, General

Manager - Vehicle Integration , R&D at one of India’s top

vehicle manufacturer Force Motors Limited. He says value

contributors in the form of Co2 and Nox emissions, water

use etc improve sustainability. Cars using hydrogen fuel

cells , biofuels etc contribute to it. A roadmap for 2025 for

sustainability is being prepared for the Indian automobile

industry. Electric vehicles and tyres potentially contribute

to sustainability, he says in this interview

Keeping pace

with evs

Why do you think EVs should

have specifically designed

tyres?

The electric vehicles (EVs) have

specifically designed tyres. EV’s torque

puts immense demands on tyres because

they have to be sturdy and very grippy,

although not so grippy that they use up

vital battery power. The silent powertrain

makes tyre rumble more obvious,

and therefore reducing noise is also

important. The tyre needs to be hard

so that when it rolls they produce Least

resistance.

Low rolling resistance is

the key factor in ensuring

fuel efficiency and range,

particularly in smaller type

tyres of sizes 12 inches to

13 inches. Why do you think

that it is a challenge to

design such tyres?

Both 12 inch and 13 inch tyres are small

series for the commercial and passenger

segment. Installing smaller tyres than

originally fitted will almost always result

in reduced fuel economy, because the

engine or motor turns more revolutions

to move the car for the same distance.

Running the engine/motor at more

RPM than necessary results in energy

wastage.The smaller tyre will roll a little

easier, but not enough to make up the

difference. This observation is based

on actual experience. Larger tyres

enable the engine to run slower, and

there will be an improvement in fuel

economy.Sometimes the improvement is

TA News Bureau

Pradeep Chandrasekaran