JK Tyre unveiled its EV-compatible tyre ‘Ranger HPE’, a type of electric vehicle-specific smart tyre designed for sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and passenger cars in India.
“With the evolution of the EV sector in India, the development of EV-oriented technology remains a key focus for the company. Our Smart tyres are developed with an EV-specific next-gen design philosophy, making the entire range smarter, quieter, durable, and energy, efficient, “said V K Misra, Technical Director, JK Tyre and Industries Ltd.
The new range is designed and developed at the Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence (RPSCOE). The company has invested more than Rs 200 crore in RPSCOE to date, of which approximately 50 crores has been invested in EV, including development, testing, tooling, etc.
“Our focus is to develop new products, including for the global EV original equipment manufacturers (OEM),” said R Mukhopadhyay, Director, R&D, JK Tyre and Industries Ltd. One of the biggest challenges in the tyre manufacturing industry is to reduce the weight of tyres for the newer generation of vehicles without compromising on quality, he added.
The company is closely working with OEMs, including JBM, Olectra, Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, and Foton. The company supplies tyres to Benling India, Electrotherm India, Coslight India, and others in the two and three-wheeler vehicles segment.
The new range of tyres are fitted with in-house developed Treel TMPS sensors and are designed to meet the performance demand of EV trucks, buses, light commercial vehicles, passenger cars, SUVs, and two-wheelers. The Smart EV tyre range for all categories of buses, trucks, and LCV has been developed in 17.5” and 22.5” tubeless sizes. The EV range of tyres (255/70R22.5 and 295/80R22.5) is being supplied to JBM EV buses.