ORLANDO, Florida—Michelin unveiled the X One Line Energy D2 drive tire at American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council 2022 Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition, which Nate Kirian, Michelin VP of B2B sales North America, said "is our lowest rolling resistance tire that we have ever launched."
The X One Line Energy D2 tire is available for line-haul, dry van truckload, and refrigerated truckload applications. The product is designed to reinforce Michelin X One fuel savings superiority versus dual tires, the company said. The tire is available in a 445/50R22.5 L tire size and has a 20/32 tread depth.
The tire is designed for industry-leading fuel savings, to lower total cost of ownership, and provide exceptional traction and driver confidence, according to to the tire maker.
The X One Line Energy D2 is a directional tire for the first half of its life, Kirian explained. The tire’s advanced tread compound is credited in part for the fuel savings it can deliver.
“When tests were run on the X One Line Energy D2, diesel prices were about $2.55 per gallon,” Kirian said. And when tested directly against a competitive tire, there were “about $2,300 per year in fuel savings.”
Diesel prices today, according to AAA, are about $4.61 per gallon, meaning the fuel-efficient design of the X One Line Energy D2 would deliver even further savings than at the time of testing.
“The most exciting thing about this tire is that this tire breaks the trade-off between rolling resistance, traction, and wear—and that’s not easy to do,” Kirian said.
The tire also uses Michelin's Regenion evolving tread design, which provides traction in all weather conditions for North American operations with straight, pass-through grooves that appear as the tire wears, The rectangular bead also minimizes fatigue to extend casing life, allowing for maximum retreadability.
The tire’s compact tread design “gives you less squirm” when going down the road, achieving a higher energy conservation. In other words, the tire packs in a high amount of rubber while also providing fuel efficiency and keeping stable.
The X One Line Energy D2 features straight pass-through grooves, which are pitched to evacuate water. The grooves also evolve over the life of the tire, transforming in shape but still providing the same amount of water evacuation throughout the tire's life.
Another benefit of the X One Line Energy D2 tires is the weight savings. Michelin explained that as a wide-base single configuration, it enables a tractor-trailer to carry up to 432 more pounds of payload versus dual tires, based on replacing eight Michelin X Line Energy D tires with Alcoa Ultra ONE wheels with four Michelin X One Line Energy D2 tires with Alcoa Ultra ONE wheels.
Tires for a hybrid future
During the press conference, Kirian said varying things must be considered from a parts and components manufacturer perspective with the rising adoption of hybrid, electric, and even hydrogen commercial vehicles, and how the X One Line Energy D2 fits into such an environment.
The primary considerations are low rolling resistance and its impact on increasing range.
“As vehicles turn to electric and hydrogen [powertrains], you want the range of that vehicle to be as long as possible,” Kirian said. “So, you want a low rolling resistance tire to enable that range to go farther and farther.”
Weight savings is another crucial consideration.
“You also want to focus on the weight savings because with batteries and other parts and components on the vehicle, it’s important. Every 100 lbs. is going to make a difference in that vehicle and the rolling resistance on the vehicle,” Kirian continued. “These are two areas where we think the X Ones will be a nice fit as vehicles continue to evolve in the coming years.”
