DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A British engineering startup focused on developing ultra-low rolling-resistance tires indicated recently it plans to move production of its thus-far low-volume output to a "brand-new, carbon-neutral factory."
London-based Enso Tyres Ltd. — founded in 2016 by Icelandic entrepreneur Gunnlaugur Erlendsson — disclosed its plan during the recent COP28 climate conference in Dubai but did not offer specifics about the manufacturing plans, including whether this would be its own factory or someone else's.
The company currently has its tires produced in Algeria by Iris Tyres under an off-take production contract.
The proposed facility will "produce safer, more durable, more energy-efficient and more affordable tires, with 100% renewable energy," Enso stated Dec. 6 as part of challenge to the tire industry in general to accelerate plans to decarbonize production.
In comments released during the COP28 conference, Erlendsson called on industry leaders in general to "show courage … and agree to phase out fossil fuels."
"We all know that Earth is facing a climate crisis," Erlendsson said. "The science is clear and Enso's mission is clear. We are committed to decarbonizing our entire supply chain by 2030. We call on the tire industry and our partners to rise to this challenge."
"Any industry that deploys road-based transport anywhere its supply chain now has a clear responsibility to acknowledge and tackle the carbon footprint of their extensive operations. Unless the entire tire industry rapidly also accelerates its decarbonization efforts, it will be lagging in the drive towards a more sustainable future."
Enso's commercial efforts to date consist mostly of arranging several high-profile long-term tests with public fleets — including a limited test on electric vehicles operated by the U.K.'s Royal Mail — and public demonstrations in the United Kingdom that purport to show the firm's claimed rolling-resistance advantages.
Enso has yet to disclose publicly detailed results of the tests or comparative performance data of its tires versus products from established tire makers.
Earlier this summer Enso was a finalist for the Earthshot environmental prize. Launched by Prince William in 2020, the Earthshot Prize aims to discover and help scale the world's most innovative climate and environmental solutions to protect and restore our planet.
