September

by Rafal Anyszka, University of Twente and University of Akron; Anke Blume and Wisut Kaewsakul, University of Twente; Li Jia,

In December 2015, the United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Paris. The conference negotiated the Paris Agreement, which is a global agreement on the reduction of climate change. At the follow-up climate change conference in Marrakech (COP22) in November 2016, the member states of the Kyoto Protocol agreed to set the goal of limiting global warming to a still acceptable level of less than 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels. This target requires that the zero emission of CO2 is achieved soon.

Developing tire tread formulations for electric vehicles (EVs) presents a unique challenge. Instantaneous high torque and vehicle dynamics demand traction performance, while owner expectations for battery life and range highlight the need for very low rolling resistance compounds. In addition, vehicle weight and new environmental pressures increase the need for improved durability and abrasion resistance.