In the context of global environmental protection, the traditional tire "disposable" model has been challenged by a newly established British company Enso. Enso was founded six years ago to develop more efficient and environmentally friendly tires for electric vehicles.
Enso
"The advent of electric vehicles and the growing awareness of the environmental impact of tire emissions inspired the founding of Enso," said Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, founder and CEO of the company. "Our goal is to serve the ev industry in a sustainable way." It's a lofty goal, but Enso, which was named one of the UK's "hottest start-ups" last year, faces competition from five major tyre manufacturers around the world that collectively produce 2 billion tyres a year.
However, referring to Enso's recent success, in one over-mileage campaign, a Renault Zoe with Enso tires ran farther than a similar car with OE Michelin top rubber. Erlendsson said: "We have shown that small companies like ours can beat OE. The electric tire market is small and our task is simply to fight for our own space in it. ”
Erlendsson would not disclose his company's tire formula, at least not the company that makes his tires for now, saying only: "Its factory is brand new and the best in the industry." However, he will talk about another segment in Enso's business strategy, namely the tire subscription model.
Not content with offering the market new dedicated EV tires with range and emission optimization characteristics, Enso has also avoided traditional distributor sales channels and supplied tires directly to fleets, a common practice in the bus and truck market but almost unheard of in the automotive and commercial sectors. Enso subscriptions do not require an upfront payment, and the typical fee charged to customers is one penny per mile.
"Enso is committed to improving the durability of our tires because, unlike traditional tire manufacturers, our revenue is not related to production. Instead, what we offer to fleets is that we believe that the lower wear rate of our tires will allow their vehicles to last longer between tire changes, thereby reducing downtime and replacement costs, while extending the distance the vehicle travels and helping the planet by reducing emissions. By offering subscription fees directly to our customers, we retain more profits. ”
Enso's tire subscription is part of the company's "Tire as a Service" model, which was inspired by the Transportation as a Service (Taas) car rental model, which could replace car ownership in the coming years. Later this year, Enso will partner with taxi makers LEVC and Zet, a company dedicated to financing zero-emission vehicles, to begin supplying its top-of-the-line EV tires to London's largest taxi fleet, with the goal of increasing range and reducing tire emissions.
"This will be a great opportunity to test our Tass model," Erlendsson said.