Kinchbus has taken delivery of the first Alexander Dennis Enviro200 single-decks to be fitted with Michelin X InCity EV Z 265/70 R19.5 tyres as original equipment.
Those are slightly wider than the 245/70 R19.5 Michelin regional tyres selected by parent Wellglade Group for most of its previous Enviro200 purchases. All fall under the current Effitires contract that sees Michelin’s Connected Solutions division handle the supply and management of all tyres for Wellglade.
The new vehicles are for use on Kinch’s Skylink route between Derby and Leicester via East Midlands Airport. While the X InCity EV Z is designed for electric vehicles, Michelin notes how the product is equally suitable for internal combustion-powered buses.
It is a multi-position tyre with what the supplier says is excellent safety, longevity and load capacity, and optimised rolling resistance. Technologies included in the casings include InfiniCoil, Forcion and Regenion. Those help to maximise mileage potential.
The product is further enhanced with Powercoil, which consists of robust steel cables to aid endurance, and a bead design called Duracoil, which helps to improve stability.
Michelin has tailored the tyre specifically for urban use, with increased resistance to sidewall damage by kerbing and to splits in the tread. Downtime and costs invoked by damage to tyres are reduced while helping the user to maintain a reliable service.
Speaking about the work, Wellglade Group Engineering Director Matt Evans says: “In the past, most of our Alexander Dennis Enviro200 buses would normally have been fitted with a 245/70 R19.5 Michelin regional tyre from the X Multi range.
“But now we can specify the new X InCity EV Z size, which brings a range of benefits to the fleet and ultimately to our passengers, too.”
Kinchbus will soon welcome 21 Yutong E9L and E12 battery-electric single deck buses. Those will also be shod with Michelin X InCity EV Z tyres.
All casings on the Wellglade Group contract are managed through a multi-life policy. Michelin technicians regroove them once the tread depth reaches 3-4mm. When the regrooved tyres have worn, they are retreaded at the manufacturer’s plant in Stoke-on-Trent.
