South Korean tyre maker Kumho Tyres has spent four years and 50 billion won to develop optimal tyres with the highest fuel-efficiency capacity, the Ecowing-S tyres.
On March 5, Kumho Tyres stated to launch efforts to establish products of high-efficiency in full swing while providing the industry with car tyres that are fuel-efficient that are the highest in its grade.
Ecowing-S tyres have the highest fuel-efficiency capacity according to the labeling standards of Korea. The tyre labeling in Korea will be implemented in December.
Korea’s tyre labelling grades the tyres from first to fifth degree based on the degree of rolling resistance and level of wet grips. Consumers can find the grade at the bottom surface of the tyres when purchasing.
The new tyres of Kumho Tyres have been graded “A” in energy consumption efficiency by the Korean Energy Management Corporation.
Prof. Lee Ho-geun, Department of Tires, Daeduk University in the Transportation Pollution Research Center of National Institute of Environmental Research under the Ministry of Environment and his team has also done a fuel efficiency test to the Ecowing-S and they have found out that the new line of tyres improves the rolling resistance by about 1.7 times when compared to other products, which makes it higher than 6.68% in fuel efficiency.
According to the Transportation Pollution Research, the Ecowing-S, can reduce the carbon emissions by about 272 kg. per year given that it will be running in a mid-sized passenger car. This can lead to savings of 230,000 won per annum given that the price of gas is at 2,000 won per litre.
“Ecowing-S is expected to trigger a change in consumers’ purchasing behaviour toward high efficiency tires with improved fuel efficiency and stability in wet road conditions. As a leader in the development of eco-friendly tires, we will diversify product lineups to help broaden consumers’ choice and play an active role in the expansion of the market for green products,” said Dong-ju Park, director of automobile tire development. (RJA)