The tire of tomorrow will continue to be round and black, but it will hide within it maximum technology, performance that was unimaginable until a few years ago and, of course, it will be more sustainable. Pirelli has imagined this product and has already put it on sale integrated into its high-performance family. It is called P Zero E, and it is the first high-performance model on the market with the highest rating in the three main chapters of the energy label throughout its range. In addition, more than 55% of the materials used in its production are of natural or recycled origin.
The P Zero E champions the new generation of tires for Premium electric and hybrid cars. The use of the most advanced development techniques, many of which come from Formula 1, has made it possible to combine sustainable performance (lower noise, minimal energy consumption and great durability) with the highest safety and performance requirements (braking, stability , aquaplaning and tire-worn performance). Its technical characteristics include a compound formulated from various specific mixtures that reduce rolling resistance and wear. The drawing, projected with the support of virtual reality, also helps to withstand the high torque of electric cars with a minimum degree of noise.
The entire P Zero E launch range is equipped with ElectTM and the new RunForwardTM technologies. The latter, an absolute first for Pirelli, allows you to travel up to 40 km with a flat tire at a maximum speed of 80 km/h. Better known is ElectTM, a pioneer in the tire industry and which Pirelli introduced in 2019, acts on the casing and tread to increase the range of use of the battery, reduce noise and increase durability, in addition to responding to immediate delivery of torque from the electric drives.
Another of the chapters that endorse the status of the P Zero E as a reference for the future of the tire is that of materials. The main challenge for Pirelli’s R&D division in its creation has been to combine sustainability with the high performance of this type of product. The final result has been a tire that, as endorsed by the independent certification body Bureau Veritas, reduces, to begin with, CO? emissions by 24% compared to a Pirelli tire of the previous generation, in addition to significantly cutting weight (a game weighs 12 kg less on the scale than a standard P Zero of identical size).
Bureau Veritas has also certified that more than 55% of the materials needed to manufacture all P Zero E are of natural or recycled origin. Among those reused, recycled steel and circular carbon black (from the pyrolysis of tires at the end of their useful life) stand out. The new materials include lignin, a waste product from the paper industry that Pirelli recovers thanks to a patented process; silica from rice husk ash, bioresins or biocircular polymers and bioresins. Combining all of them with natural rubber and rayon from sustainable forests helps close the circle.
The new P Zero E is now available in the Spanish market with an initial range of 17 sizes that will anticipate the development of specific original equipment versions for some models of the most exclusive automobile companies.