With the European Union Tyre labeling system in mind, Kumho Tyres (CEO, Chang-gyu Kim) has developed tyres that have won a class A/A rating for their rolling resistance/braking power on wet roads performance in the E.U.
Kumho’s technological excellence in developing eco-friendly tyres has already been recognized with the ecowing S, winner the Energy Consumption Efficiency Class 1 in South Korea, first among Korean brands.
Now, the company has obtained the highest level of technological certification in Europe, the E.U. Tyres Labeling system. The Class A/A in the EU Tyres Labeling system is equivalent to the Class A/A in Korea and AAA/a in Japan. In both countries, related tyre regulations are already enacted and put in place.
The EU Tyre Labeling System measures and classifies tyres based on rolling resistance, braking capability on wet roads, and noise level. For tyre efficiency levels, rolling resistance and braking power on the wet road are graded from A to G with noise level while driving on the road is expressed in decibels (dB). The ecowing ES01 won a grade of A for braking force on wet roads in a test conducted at the TCL, a testing lab under the Dutch Certification Agency, RDW, which is charged with vehicle safety and environmental regulations. The ecowing ES01 also won a Grade A in Rolling Resistance in an official test conducted by a certified German testing organization, TUV SUD.
Regarding its noise level, the Kumho product met new tightened regulations requiring tyres not to exceed 71dB, which will be put in place in November.
The ecowing ES01 has minimized energy loss by reducing rolling resistance compared with existing products. It also provides superior steering stability and enhanced braking power on wet roads.
Kumho Tyres plans to offer these products on European markets in the second half of this year. “European consumers are much more sensitive to the environmental aspects of a product, and we spent years making efforts in order to satisfy them,” said Vice President Choon-taek Cho, head of the Kumho Tyres Research Center. “Such endeavors have enabled us to develop the ecowing ES01 with better fuel efficiency, better braking power on wet roads, enhanced noise and abrasion performance.” Cho also added, “Winning the Class A in the European Tyres Labeling following the Nordic Ecolabel, the environmental label applied in the Northern Europe, in 2002. It will enable us to secure a more competitive edge in the EU tyre market with our environmentally-friendly products.”
Kumho plans to launch the ECOWING ES01 (KH27) in Australia in Early 2013.
See the range of Ecowing Tyres