ENSO, a U.K.-based company that makes tires for electric vehicles, has announced plans to build the first carbon-neutral tire factory in the U.S.
The $500 million ENSO technology campus will be powered entirely by renewable energy. The first-of-its-kind tire industrial campus aims to be carbon neutral without purchased offsets, using carbon-neutral raw materials and building materials.
In its first phase, the factory will produce five million EV tires annually by 2027 and create 600 jobs. The factory will expand to 2,400 jobs when built out to its full production capacity of 20 million tires, which ENSO says is 8% of the total annual U.S. tire market. To accelerate and scale innovation, the ENSO technology campus will integrate research and development production under one roof.
Most tires sold in the U.S. today are imported, ENSO reports. The factory aims to reduce U.S. reliance on imports and enhance domestic production. Possible factory locations include Colorado, Georgia, Nevada, and Texas, among other states.
“The U.S. is the best place for ENSO to establish its first carbon-neutral tire factory,” ENSO CEO Gunnlaugur Erlendsson said in a press statement. “With strong regulatory support and a significant market opportunity, we are committed to bringing our innovative, low-emission, low-cost tires to American consumers. This factory will make tires more affordable, reduce tire pollution, create great jobs, and drive sustainability in the U.S. tire industry.”
ENSO says it has signed a letter of interest with the Export-Import Bank of the United States to establish the factory in the U.S. Technology partner Rockwell, development firm Arup, and investors 8090 Industries and Galway Sustainable Capital are also supporting the project.
ENSO’s mission is to make EVs more successful and reduce tire pollution, which is responsible for 6 million tons of particulate matter emitted globally, per the statement. The company says its tires increase EV range by 10% and reduce particulate matter emissions by 35%. ENSO plans to phase out all fossil fuel-based raw materials from its products by 2030, replacing them with bio-based renewable and low-carbon alternatives.
![Rendering courtesy ENSO](/sites/default/files/inline-images/0%20ENSO%20Exterior%202%20Credit_%20Courtesy%20of%20Arup%20and%20ENSO.jpg)
Here is the full press release from ENSO:
ENSO, the tire technology company that makes better tires for electric vehicles (EVs), has signed a Letter of Interest (LOI) with the Export-Import Bank of the United States (U.S. EXIM Bank) to establish a groundbreaking carbon-neutral tire factory in America. U.S.-based technology partners Rockwell, global sustainable development firm Arup and US-based investors 8090 Industries and Galway Sustainable Capital, are supporting ENSO.
The first-of-its-kind tire factory will be carbon-neutral without purchased offsets, utilizing carbon-neutral raw materials, building materials and 100% renewable energy. In its first phase, the factory will produce 5 million EV tires by 2027 and create 600 jobs, rising to 2,400 jobs when built out to full production capacity of 20 million tires – 8% of America’s total annual tire market. The ENSO technology campus will integrate research and development with production under one roof to accelerate and scale innovation.
Announced at the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington DC, potential factory locations include Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Georgia, with other states in consideration. The U.S., particularly California, has a significant EV consumer base and is leading efforts to regulate tire efficiency and emissions, making the U.S. the ideal market for ENSO.
ENSO CEO Gunnlaugur Erlendsson said, "The U.S. is the best place for ENSO to establish its first carbon-neutral tire factory. With strong regulatory support and a significant market opportunity, we are committed to bringing our innovative, low-emission, low-cost tires to American consumers. This factory will make tires more affordable, reduce tire pollution, create great jobs and drive sustainability in the U.S. tire industry.”
![Rendering courtesy ENSO](/sites/default/files/inline-images/0%20ENSO%20Interior%20Credit_%20Courtesy%20of%20Arup%20and%20ENSO.jpg)
The U.S. regulatory environment strongly supports ENSO’s move to America. Initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act have transformed the automotive sector and enabled more ambitious EPA (Environment Protection Act) emissions standards, paving the way for similar advancements in the tire industry. Programs such as the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) Replacement Tire Efficiency Program and the California Environmental Protection Agency’s (CalEPA) efforts to control toxic chemicals such as 6PPD in tires align with ENSO's goals, by setting out minimum efficiency and environmental standards for both new and aftermarket tires.
Tires are critical to keeping America’s economy moving. Without tires, all 275 million vehicles in the U.S. would grind to halt. Currently, the majority of tires sold in the U.S. are imported. This factory will help reduce America’s reliance on imports, enhancing domestic production capabilities. There is a big consumer appetite in the U.S. for ENSO’s tire innovation. Nearly half (47%) of Americans would be more encouraged to buy a set of tires if they were made in the U.S., 46% if they used fewer toxic materials, 43% if they produced fewer emissions, and 41% if they were made from recycled materials.
ENSO’s mission is to make EVs more successful and reduce tire pollution, saving costs for every American. ENSO’s tires already increase EV range by 10% and reduce particulate matter emissions by 35%. By producing fewer, longer-lasting tires with better technology, ENSO aims to cut tire pollution.
Tire pollution is a significant issue, responsible for six million tons of particulate matter emitted globally each year. Tire pollution is a major contributor to ocean microplastic pollution and local air pollution, while tire production is carbon intensive and creates huge amounts of waste at the end of life. ENSO, a finalist in the ‘Clean Our Air’ category of The Earthshot Prize, the prestigious annual environmental award established by Prince William, is leading the way on environmental standards in the tire industry. ENSO is leading efforts to decarbonize the tire industry and is committed to completely phase out all fossil fuel based raw materials from its products by 2030, replacing them with bio-based renewable and low-carbon alternatives.
The U.S. has a major market opportunity to lead the transformation of the tire industry and to incentivize EV adoption. America doesn't make enough tires, and ENSO’s factory will be a major step toward achieving these goals, ensuring economic benefits and environmental sustainability for American consumers. This factory therefore represents a significant investment in setting a new standard for the future of American tire manufacturing.
![Rendering courtesy ENSO](/sites/default/files/inline-images/0%20ENSO%20Production%201%20Credit_%20Courtesy%20of%20Arup%20and%20ENSO.png)
![Rendering courtesy ENSO](/sites/default/files/inline-images/0%20ENSO%20Production%202%20Credit_%20Courtesy%20of%20Arup%20and%20ENSO.png)
![Rendering courtesy ENSO](/sites/default/files/inline-images/0%20ENSO%20Production%203%20Credit_%20Courtesy%20of%20Arup%20and%20ENSO.png)
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Business park grows yet again
Construction has begun on the latest addition to Miami International Commerce Center (MICC) industrial park in Doral, Fla. The 75,000-sf facility will offer businesses 3,000 and 7,000 square feet of space. When the new building is completed, MICC will offer tenants 3.2-million sf of light industrial and flex space.
| Aug 11, 2010
Wood chips to heat school district buildings
An alternative energy plant for the Hartford Central School District in Hartford, N.Y., will be a first for the state's public school systems. Designed by Albany, N.Y.-based CSArch Architecture/Construction Management, the $1.9 million plant will provide heat and hot water to the district's elementary and high school complex, as well as to an adjacent technical school.
| Aug 11, 2010
And the world's tallest building is…
At more than 2,600 feet high, the Burj Dubai (right) can still lay claim to the title of world's tallest building—although like all other super-tall buildings, its exact height will have to be recalculated now that the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) announced a change to its height criteria.
| Aug 11, 2010
Manhattan's Pier 57 to be transformed into $210 million cultural center
LOT-EK, Beyer Blinder Belle, and West 8 have been selected as the design team for Hudson River Park's $210 million Pier 57 redevelopment, headed by local developer Young Woo & Associates. The 375,000-sf vacant passenger ship terminal will be transformed into a cultural center, small business incubator, and public park, including a rooftop venue for the Tribeca Film Festival.
| Aug 11, 2010
Nation's first multistory green industrial facility opens in Brooklyn
The $25 million Perry Avenue Building at Brooklyn Navy Yard is the nation's first multilevel green industrial facility and the first building in New York to incorporate building-mounted wind turbines. The wind turbines, along with rooftop solar panels, will provide electricity for the building's lobby and common areas.
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction under way on LEED Platinum DOE energy lab
Centennial, Colo.-based Haselden Construction has topped out the $64 million Research Support Facilities, located on the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) campus in Golden, Colo. Designed by RNL and Stantec to achieve LEED Platinum certification and net zero energy performance, the 218,000-sf facility will feature natural ventilation through operable ...
| Aug 11, 2010
NASA plans federal government's greenest building
NASA is set to break ground on what the agency expects to be the highest-performing building in the federal government's portfolio. Named Sustainability Base, the building at Ames Research Center in Sunnyvale, Calif., will be a showplace for sustainable technologies, featuring some of the agency's most advanced recycling and intelligent controls technologies originally developed to support NASA...
| Aug 11, 2010
Stimulus funding helps get NOAA project off the ground
The award-winning design for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s new Southwest Fisheries Science Center replacement laboratory saw its first sign of movement last month with a groundbreaking ceremony held in La Jolla, Calif. The $102 million project is funded primarily by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
| Aug 11, 2010
Robotic storage facility protects exotic automobiles, fine wines, artwork
Miller Construction Company, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has completed construction on a high-tech robotic storage facility designed to store and protect valued possessions such as exotic automobiles, fine wines, artwork, and jewelry. Designed and built to resist Category 5 hurricanes, the RoboVault facility features automated storage retrieval, biometric recognition, private access with 24/7 securi...