The Prince of Wales fitted a car with an eco-tyre made by one of the finalists from his Earthshot Prize and was dubbed a “professional” for his efforts.
William got to grips with the 17-inch alloy wheel fitted with a tyre made by ENSO, a start-up shortlisted last year in the Clean Our Air category of William’s global environmental competition.
The fledging company has announced a three-year partnership with delivery and ride-hailing service Uber, thousands of drivers in the UK and US will be offered access to specially discounted ENSO tyres via a dedicated buyers’ club.
William seemed impressed by the development and when he visited ENSO at their west London home near Brentford said: “What fantastic progress you’ve made – you’re going higher and higher.”
The company’s founder Gunnlaugur Erlendsson spoke about plans to open a tyre factory in the US and the funding they secured after the Earthshot prize-giving ceremony hosted in Singapore in 2023.
He said: “So all these things bring together the capital, the solution and the scale to make things happen quickly because we’re running out of time to deal with these problems on this planet – we can’t wait forever.
“In a nutshell, Prince William is effectively the cheerleader for the planet, where he’s cheering us on to make these things work, deliver and impact at scale.”
Tyres emit six million tonnes of pollution around the world each year, with their constant friction on the roads releasing harmful invisible micro-pollutants, which increase the risk of heart disease, asthma and other conditions.
ENSO has created a more efficient, low emission tyre for electric vehicles which reduces particle pollution by 35% and is calibrated to improve durability.
William gave sales technician Andrew Bernard a hand in fitting the wheel of an electric Kia Niro car that is popular with Uber drivers.
He commented he had changed a few wheels before and seemed adept at handling the power drill to screw on the wheel nuts, and Mr Bernard joked: “You got some spare time, come and work for us.”
Mr Erlendsson said of his efforts: “He was like a professional.”
Uber has also become a founding partner of William’s Earthshot Prize, which aims to recognise and scale up solutions to “repair” the planet, and will nominate climate solution start-ups for the annual award.
Almost 30% of Uber miles in London are now fully electric, Uber said as it hailed the city as its worldwide “capital of electrification”.
Jill Hazelbaker, Uber chief marketing officer, said: “We’re thrilled to work with ENSO to help them grow while making it easier for Uber drivers to go electric around the world.”
