Reise Moto, a division of the Mahansaria Group, manufactures and markets premium two-wheeler tyres, both on- and off-road. The brand, which is an outcome of a 76:24 JV between Mahansaria Group and the European brand Mitas, houses a greenfield state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Saykha, Gujarat spread across 30+ acres. The company will manufacture premium two-wheeler tyres under the brand name ‘Mitas’ for European and North American markets, and will use the ‘reise’ brand name for the Indian and other South Asian markets.
What are the new innovations undertaken in tyres to suit the changing vehicular structures and power outputs?
In addition to the commuter segment of two-wheelers, India is now witnessing a more substantial presence of performance-centric offerings. With the advent of purpose-built high-performance scooters and motorcycles, we believe that in the future, purpose-specific tyres will be the norm. For instance, dual sport, off-road, mild trails, highway touring, city riding, intra-city longer journeys, etc., would entail a specific tyre built for this purpose.
This is one of the most critical areas of focus for us, and our association with Mitas brings us a unique competitive advantage as they have been providing a wide range of specialised tyres for diverse needs to the global markets, which we are now bringing to India.
Radialisation in India, which currently stands at less than 1%, is bound to increase. The development of radial two-wheeler tyres with an ‘H’ rating, capable of travelling at higher speeds, is also going to be an important area of focus for us at Reise Moto. We are working on “Zero Steel Radial”, the latest technological development in this area.
In addition to offering higher speeds, the safety of the rider and the pillion is of prime importance, with superior grip in dry and wet conditions. It provides an effective traction under varied conditions. Our team is developing advanced compounds to bring out superior performance in our tyres. A tread design that meets all these attributes comes with its set of challenges, but our experience, innovations, and engineering prowess helps us deal with them.
With EVs and focus on renewable energy to power vehicles, how different will tyres be, and the role they will play in overall vehicular performance?
The entire world is shifting its focus to electric vehicles. As their numbers grow consistently, EVs will dominate the future trends of automobiles worldwide. We believe that the future sustainability of road transportation will require a substantial improvement in the efficient use of energy by road vehicles. As new technologies are being deployed to reduce the total vehicle energy consumption, the contribution of tyre rolling resistance to total energy consumption continues to increase.
For this reason, tyre rolling resistance is starting to drive the focus of many tyre developments. This is because the rolling resistance can be responsible for 20-30% of the total vehicle energy consumption. It is found that the primary source of rolling resistance is tyre deformational behaviour (i.e. hysteresis damping), which can account for 80-95% of the total rolling resistance.
The state-of-the-art tyre design, research, and development for lower rolling resistance, with a focus on the primary source for the rolling resistance (i.e. mechanical hysteresis damping), form three perspectives – the structural lay-up; the dimensional features, and the materials compound(s) of the tyre. Our team is developing EV-specific tyres considering all these special considerations.
Please provide technology details on the use of new age tech to support the same; the use of AI and RFIDs, for instance.
The usage of RFID will help manufacturers and suppliers maintain inventory oversight while reducing the potential for errors and time-consuming practices. In addition, End of Life and recycling management, preventive maintenance, manufacturing optimisation and many other aspects can be taken care of with the support of new technology.
Tyre manufacturers will be able to develop products that have more consistent performance and extended usable life with the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to detect structural changes that occur during a tyre’s use. We are in the process of adopting new technology in different aspects of product development and manufacturing.
Can we see a day when interaction with tyres can be done on the move and tyre health being tracked and maintained remotely?
Yes, we can. With the use of advanced technological innovations in AI and RFID, we can track not only air pressure but also the temperature and the heat dissipated, puncture detection, tread wear detection and tyre changing alert, along with various other alerts. This is already happening in the commercial vehicle segment and adds a lot of value to the customers in enhancing life of tyres.
For motorcycles, this technology will be re-engineered based on Indian weather and road conditions to offer more value to customers, especially those planning longer journeys. They can have many more functions like SOS, AI-powered storytelling, and documenting their journey through photographs, linking to social media etc.
What according to you is the future of tyres in India in terms of material usage, carbon neutrality and recyclability?
The development of sustainable materials is a new challenge for the tyre industry, and we are in the process of developing more sustainable materials in our tyres to make them eco-friendly, not just to use but also to manufacture. Sustainable materials like recycled carbon black, silica from rice husk, bio-oil etc. will be used in the times to come.
What is Reise Moto’s strategy and plans?
In today’s highly dynamic Indian two-wheeler space, the key to becoming a successful tyre brand is to serve the ever-evolving needs and aspirations of enthusiasts, who expect a lot more from their machines than just commuting. The riders today expect the best experience from their rides, and we are focused on elevating their riding experience through our European performance tyre brand ‘reise’ that comes from a confluence of legacy and experience, building highly specialised products with the passion for rider intimacy.
Therefore, in sync with the rider’s needs and aspirations, our product strategy reflects the ‘application first approach’ in product design thinking that has helped us create purpose-built tyres for the evolved riders and the two-wheeler community at large.
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