Michelin introduces energy-efficient mining tire

Michelin introduced the "industry's first energy-efficient tire for the mining industry", named Michelin XDR 4 Speed Energy, designed to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

According to Michelin, the new tire's energy efficiency is 3.6% higher than that of the Michelin XDR 250 C (in size 50/80 R57), which allows for saving around 5,300 gallons (20,000 liters) of fuel or $24,000 per truck per year. For a fleet of 50 vehicles, the savings would be nearly $1.2 million per year, and the reduction in CO2 emissions would be around 2,600 tons.

"To better understand how tires affect the fuel efficiency of equipment, we had to study the efforts that slow down a vehicle, known as rolling resistance," said Liza Hickey, Director of Sustainable Development at Michelin's mining tire division. "The Michelin XDR 4 Speed Energy tire is made with a number of innovative technologies, and its more elastic tread combined with a special rubber compound reduces heat buildup and allows for more energy to be used for movement."

During the operation of quarry trucks, both on hard and soft surfaces, the tire deforms, releasing heat, which leads to energy losses that the new tire is designed to reduce.

"We have been a leading innovator in the tire market for 135 years and continue to develop our technologies to remain a leader in the industry," said Reno Durand, Technical Director of Michelin Mining. "The Michelin XDR 4 Speed Energy tire provides reduced rolling resistance without compromising other parameters, such as safety, and we used our extensive experience in developing composite materials to introduce the first energy-efficient tire for the mining industry, designed to help our customers save fuel and reduce carbon dioxide emissions."

The Michelin XDR 4 Speed Energy made its debut at the MINExpo 2024 exhibition, currently taking place in Las Vegas, and sales are scheduled to start in 2025.