E-Mobility: Forecast Model for Tire Abrasion of Delivery Vehicles

The German Federal Environment Agency estimates that the contact of tires with the road surface produces abrasion particles amounting to at least 100,000 tons per year. This corresponds to approximately one third of the microplastic emissions released every year in Germany. Due to their higher weight, vehicles with an electric drive often produce more tire abrasion than those with a combustion engine. Scientists from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics have launched the RAMUS project, which deals with tire-abrasion measurements and simulation, to investigate how electrified vehicles produce these abrasion particles. In order to develop a forecast model for tire abrasion, they are testing tires on a test rig by simulating operating cycles that represent real vehicle usage behavior in condensed form.

While electrified delivery traffic plays a key role in climate-neutral mobility, tire abrasion remains a challenge. Due to the weight of the battery and the high starting torques, these vehicles will release higher quantities of tire particles in the form of microplastics, compared to conventionally powered vehicles. These particles appear in the air as fine dust, in waters as sediments, and in soils as contaminants. "In contrast to the sources of pollution, such as exhaust gases, which were in the focus so far, only little research has been done on the factors that favor the formation of these particles," explains Dr. Martin Gießler, head of the Tire-Wheel-Road Surface Research Group that is part of KIT's Institute of Vehicle System Technology (FAST).

Research Based on Real Traffic Data

With the Euro 7 standard, tire abrasion limit values will be introduced for the first time. They will apply to new tire types from July 1, 2028 for passenger cars, from April 1, 2030 for light commercial vehicles, and from April 1, 2032 for heavy commercial vehicles and buses. "To reduce abrasion and comply with the new limit values, we need to investigate more closely how abrasion particles are formed and how a number of factors, such as the vehicle weight or the type of tires, bear on the amount of abrasion," Gießler says. Other possible influencing factors include the driving behavior, e.g. acceleration and braking, the road conditions including temperature and wetness, or traffic conditions such as jams.

"We are using mobility data and driving profiles of electric delivery vehicles to define condensed operation profiles for the abrasion tests on the tire test rig. The data obtained in these tests are then used to develop a simulation-based forecast model," explains Gießler. The researchers have set up a tire test rig with a real asphalt surface to measure the force transmission and abrasion behavior of the tire under various operating conditions.

Tire and Forecast Models for Abrasion Prediction

In addition, the researchers want to develop a tire model based on tests on the test rig and on simulations, which will provide large amounts of data that describe the wear of virtual tires. The data obtained from the real and virtual tests will then be integrated into a forecast model supposed to predict the influence of various factors, such as the type of tire, the type of vehicle and its load, or the driving style, on tire abrasion. Since the consortium intends to make the project results accessible to the public, it will present its method in publications and make the data obtained available on a freely accessible platform.

About RAMUS:

Within the scope of the mFUND innovation initiative, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport is funding RAMUS with a total sum of EUR 199,738. Besides KIT, as the coordinator of the project, Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM) is involved in the research. The project was launched in December 2024 and will be continued until 2026.

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