LONDON—Enso is adding yet another client for its electric vehicle tires in the form of the London Electric Vehicle Co.'s (LEVC) taxi fleet.
Enso has been working its way into the tire industry since its founding in 2016, and this marks the company's second venture into the electric taxi space. The company focuses on electric vehicle tires and created the T1XB specifically for LEVC's electric taxis across the United Kingdom, the company said.
The new tire is the first range-extending replacement taxi tire to earn a double-A rating, Enso officials said, and already has been fitted to more than 1,000 taxis around the United Kingdom as of March 11.
"Enso was created for one simple reason: to get as many low-emission tires onto as many vehicles as possible, as quickly as possible," Enso founder Gunnlauger Erlendsson said. "Our respect for the vital role that taxi drivers play in keeping our cities moving is demonstrated by the fact that we began our journey with them, helping them to improve tire performance and save money while reducing their environmental impact."
Erlendsson said the company is looking forward to working even further with taxi companies around Europe in the coming years. As more industries across the continent move to electric vehicles, the London-based tire company is looking to play a big part in that transition.
Before signing Enso as a supplier, LEVC tested the new TX1B tires "rigorously" on its TX vehicles, according to LEVC Technical Director Chris McCoy. The LEVC team was eager, McCoy said, to name Enso as an officially approved tire supplier for the zero exhaust emissions-capable taxi fleet.
"Results from various controlled environment tests, including steering and handling, stability, ride quality and NVH, along with real-world trials, demonstrated that this bespoke EV tire is well suited to the TX, which was verified by third-party vehicle dynamics experts," McCoy said. "For optimum performance, it's always recommended that approved tires are fitted."
