Michelin launches new Formula E tyre
Michelin has revealed the Pilot Sport EV, its first pilot sport-family tyre designed specifically for the demands of electric sports cars.
On sale from April 1, the Michelin Pilot Sport EV is said to deliver optimal grip on dry and wet roads – irrespective of the tyre’s level of wear – taking into account the higher weight and weight-distribution characteristics associated with Formula E cars.
Resistant to wear resulting from high torque and acceleration forces these cars generate, Michelin claims the Pilot Sport EV’s low rolling resistance extends range by up to 60 km.
The company’s acoustic technology results in 20 per cent less perceptible road noise, it adds.
A founding partner of Formula E, Michelin proposed a specific solution for the championship’s all-electric single-seaters that is similar in its concept to a road tyre. The Michelin Formula E tyre is effectively capable of racing whatever the weather conditions, while its 18 inch size is consistent with current road-car norms.
The Michelin Pilot Sport EV benefits directly from the progress Michelin has achieved over six seasons in Formula E and incorporates ElectricGrip Compound technology which features a hard compound for the centre of the tread to provide the grip required to cope with the high torque characteristics of electric sports cars.
Meanwhile, the sidewalls of the latest addition to the Michelin Pilot Sport family carry over the same pattern and velvet-finish markings of Michelin’s Formula E tyre.
In order to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the life of its tyre and address the demands of electric sports car owners, Michelin has pledged to neutralise the CO2 emissions associated with the tyre’s production and transport to its point of sale.
This process includes the financing of projects aimed at offsetting and absorbing the residual CO2 emissions associated with tyre production through the Livelihoods carbon fund until the day comes when it will be possible to eliminate them entirely.
Michelin is currently the only manufacturer that is active in the original-equipment and replacement electric sports car tyre market.
The Michelin Pilot Sport EV will be rolled out in the course of 2021 in a choice of 16 sizes (original equipment: 11 sizes / replacement market: five sizes) for 18- to 22-inch rims.