For the Range Rover Electric, "green" tires will be supplied

The issue of reducing environmental damage is becoming increasingly urgent in the automotive industry, and manufacturers are paying attention to all factors, including tire characteristics, as a result of which Jaguar Land Rover intends to equip the electric Range Rover Electric with new "green" tires from Pirelli, according to Newsweek.

"Manufacturers are certainly paying attention to the environmental parameters of tires during the development of new cars and the formation of their configuration, but when choosing tires, it is always necessary to seek compromises, since many other factors must be taken into account, such as driving properties on wet and dry roads, comfort, handling, noise, price, and now environmental friendliness," notes Bruce Harrison from S&P Global Mobility. — These compromises are equally present on the secondary market, and consumers often focus on price and availability as key factors when choosing tires.

JLR will become the first automaker to massively purchase Pirelli tires certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and bearing the corresponding marking on the sidewalls. The FSC certificate confirms that the raw materials were obtained with consideration for the protection of biodiversity and in the interests of the local population, and previously, Pirelli tires approved by the council also entered the configuration of the BMW X5 xDrive45e.

"This is an important step in implementing our sustainable development strategy in the luxury segment, as we cooperate with Pirelli, a company that shares our ambitions in this area and has the most advanced technologies for producing environmentally friendly tires," said Andrea Debbane, JLR's Director of Sustainable Development. — We are always looking for new solutions to improve the characteristics of luxury cars in the interests of people and the planet. By choosing Pirelli products with the FSC certificate, we will offer customers high-quality tires while supporting responsible forest management to protect the communities involved in the rubber supply chain to achieve real progress."

The Range Rover Electric is already available for order, and JLR previously announced that it intends to start delivering the novelty in 2024. In the future, the company plans to expand the use of eco-tires and install them on other models, and when the plan is fully implemented, it is expected that the supply volumes will exceed 250,000 tires per year.

One of the key and domestic markets for JLR is Britain, and according to the results of a survey conducted last year, 77% of local residents are familiar with the FSC logo, and 71% of respondents said that they are "very likely" to prefer products with the corresponding certification.

Pirelli says that, in addition to supplying FSC-labeled tires, it is also working with JLR to increase the share of environmentally friendly materials (from renewable sources and secondary raw materials) used in tire production for the British company.

Other leading tire manufacturers are also paying great attention to environmental protection, and, for example, Michelin recently introduced RubberWay — a digital solution for assessing and predicting social and environmental risks when obtaining natural rubber. The platform allows companies to directly interact with farmers supplying rubber and learn about their working methods. The corresponding application was developed jointly with Smag and another tire manufacturer — the German Continental.

In turn, the Finnish Nokian last year joined as a partner in the Polestar 0 project, under which a carbon-neutral car should be presented by 2030.