GURGAON, India—Apollo Tyres Ltd. and the Rubber Research Institute of India have developed a special grade of epoxide natural rubber, a new rubber compound for tires that recently received a patent from the Indian government.
The firm said this special grade ENR will replace the more-expensive styrene butadine rubber widely used in high-performance car tires, including winter tires. Apollo added that it provides a sustainable solution to its future high-performance tires.
The research and development team at Apollo was led by Arup Kr Chandra.
"As a company, Apollo Tyres has always been proactive in its approach towards technology, sustainability and other environmental issues," Daniele Lorenzetti, Apollo chief technology officer, said in a statement. "This innovation is a result of our commitment to replace synthetic materials with green and more environment friendly naturally occurring materials. I would like to congratulate the entire team involved in this, including the scientists from Rubber Research Institute of India, for this invention."