In search of the tire "green" in the truck

The tire manufacturers and chemists are working hard to develop a tire "green" new generation trucks could boost their revenues at a time when environmental pressure promises be still higher.

Analysts and experts interviewed by Reuters argue that the issue relates to several billion dollars over the next decade even if technical and economic challenges remain.

Companies around the world are called on to improve their "footprint" and a truck tire that combines security, economic performance and energy efficiency in the same proportions as in the automobile may rapidly become a blockbuster business .

Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases has become a major concern in recent years.

In the foreground is now in the North, it is increasing in many countries of the South face the challenges posed by the growth of industry and urbanization.

"Everyone is looking for the Holy Grail. We want to create the fracture and it becomes a standard," said Emmanuel Butstraen, director of the silica activity in the French chemist Rhodia.

DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Rhodia and fellow Michelin have developed together in the 1990s the first "green tire" for automobiles (light vehicles).Integrated into the synthetic rubber from Michelin, silicas "high performance" Rhodia has significantly lowered the overall energy consumption of tires (0.4 to 0.5 liters per 100 km on average).

Since then, Rhodia has become the supplier of silica of all major players in the compartment including the Japanese Bridgestone, Goodyear, or the German Continental.The green tire is about three quarters of its sales of Michelin in Europe.

Light vehicles use tires made from synthetic rubber, easier to work while the truck tires are made from natural rubber, less malleable and more expensive.

The injection of high performance silica in a high dose of natural rubber tire would require finding a "coupling agent" that promotes proper integration.

To achieve this, Rhodia has partnered with the U.S. Dow Corning silicone specialist, and hopes to develop a winning formula of 2015.

"We want to make a breakthrough on this market, should it emerge, would represent at least the same size as the light vehicle, prognostic Emmanuel Butstraen.

LABELS

According to the American Tire Business magazine, the global market for tires was estimated at 140 billion dollars in 2008 and 60% for light vehicles and 30% for trucks.

Optimistic long-term despite the current crisis, the president of Renault-Nissan (-), Carlos Ghosn, anticipates a jump in the world fleet by 2020 and remained so until 2050, thanks to the enormous needs emerging.

There are also the prospects of replacement tires, more regular in industry and services in which users operate trucks.

"The budget tires is approximately 2% of the budget of a fleet of trucks so that the fuel budget is it close to 20%. Any improvement in rolling resistance tires to have a major impact on fuel costs," confirms Gaetan Toulemonde, an analyst at Deutsche Bank.

On 1 November 2012, all tires sold in the European Union will be labeled.A label mention fuel economy, performance and grip the class of emission, the image itself is already practiced in appliances.

Similar regulatory initiatives have been taken in Japan and are being studied in the United States.

"Some 30% of tires sold today in Europe will no longer be sold in 2012 and 30% become 70% in 2016," said Pascal COUASNON, head of technical communication from Michelin, who did not wish to give more details on the group's strategy.Michelin is investing 500 million euros per year in its research and development and much of it is dedicated to the green tire.

Hans-Ake Danielsson, spokesman for the Swedish truck manufacturer Scania, is more cautious.

"Everything is about economics and life. You can buy a tire, but if its effective lifetime is two times lower, the calculation does not work anymore," he says.

On May 7, Michelin warned that rising prices of natural rubber remains binding for several years and it would increase its rates accordingly.

For the same reasons, Bridgestone has also raised its prices this year.

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