Neeve tests abrasion of tyres in Sweden
Most of the test group. From the left the drivers Bo Österberg, Göran Levin, Michael Svensson, Björn Lundin, Kay Södergrann and the VTI-employees Mats Gustafsson, Ida Järlskog and Benjamin Holmberg.
The vehicles have now started rolling – two test cars at VTI will measure wear and particle emissions from eight commonly used tyre models on the Swedish market. The trial will run for six months and involve a total of 32,000 kilometres of driving on two routes in the county of Östergötland in Southern Sweden.
Stricter exhaust emission standards and an increasing number of electric vehicles mean that emissions of nitrogen dioxide, ozone and carbon dioxide are decreasing. At the same time, heavier and more powerful vehicles – and increased traffic overall – are leading to higher emissions of wear particles from tyres, road surfaces and brakes. These emissions are currently completely unregulated, although the forthcoming Euro 7 regulations will introduce limit values for brake particles and tyre wear.
Tyre wear measured in Östergötland trial
In the Östergötland trial, two types of winter tyres, four summer tyres and two all-season tyres are each driven for 4,000 kilometres. By weighing the tyres after each driving cycle, the level of wear can be calculated. The tested tyres are also compared with two reference tyre types used in the study.
Daily driving on mixed road conditions
Every day, since early April, two 200-kilometre routes are driven with start and finish in Linköping.. Urban, rural and motorway driving are combined, and drivers are recruited from Veteranpoolen in Linköping. Driving is suspended in rainy conditions or when roads are wet. Mats Gustafsson, Senior Research Leader at VTI:
“We are testing both tyres that are top sellers on the Swedish market and tyres that we know from other tests have low wear. Our trial will then form the basis for a larger test that will be carried out in Spain and Germany”
Part of EU-funded NEEVE project
The tyre tests run from April to October and form part of the EU-funded NEEVE project. The project brings together ten partners in Spain, Germany and Sweden to reduce particulate emissions in future transport systems. The goal is to develop asphalt with 20 per cent lower emissions, brake materials with 30 per cent lower emissions, and to identify tyres with ten per cent lower particle emissions.
In addition, the project aims to increase knowledge and disseminate information about wear particles, emissions and their health effects.
One of the cars in the project.
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