Maxion Wheels has announced the launch of Europe’s lightest mass-produced steel truck wheel at IAA Transportation 2022. With weight savings of 3 kg across the wheel line-up, compared with current state-of-the-art steel truck wheels, Maxion’s lightweight wheels can add a payload increase of 40 kg or more. The new generation of wheels begins with the first wheel, in size 22.5 x 11.75.
Turkish Plant Now Ready
“Maxion Wheels is able to continue reducing weight, generation after generation, because we are passionate about engineering, avoiding unnecessary costs and supporting our customers with achieving their efficiency and sustainability targets,” said Pieter Klinkers, CEO of Maxion Wheels. “Every kilogram we remove means significant fuel savings and extra payload for customers. With the focus on fleet efficiency and vehicle productivity growing, selecting lighter, cost-effective wheels is a simple optimisation that unlocks a lot of additional value.”
Maxion Wheels has a unique Lightweighting Process that integrates all performance and design parameters into advanced structural and simulation tools. Maxion experts use this information, combined with their materials expertise and production know-how to identify solutions that combine meaningful savings with the highest possible performance.
Lightweight design is also an important element in Maxion Wheels’ ROADMAP ZERO strategy to remove CO2 emissions from its products and operations. With comprehensive lifecycle data, the positive impact of mass reductions on vehicle and production efficiency is clear. Lightweight design advances will play a role in a production-ready low-CO2 steel truck wheel available in the near future. By 2025, green product design, sustainable production and responsible sourcing will enable a new generation of green CV steel wheels with a cradle-to-gate carbon footprint that is more than 65% lower than current wheels, says the company.
Meanwhile, Maxion has also announced that its newest truck steel wheels plant with partner Inci Holding, is ready to open in Turkey. The two companies will also build a plant to offer forged aluminium Commercial Vehicle (CV) wheels beginning in 2024. The combined investments are in excess of $150 million USD from 2021 through 2025, over the next few years, and will further enhance Maxion Wheels’ existing globally leading steel wheel portfolio, while extending its reach to commercial vehicle applications where aluminium is the preferred solution.
