The Saudi Center for Energy Efficiency (SCEE) plans to enforce the first phase of new rules for fuel-saving tires in November.

The regulations are expected to reduce fuel consumption by 2 to 4 percent for smaller vehicles, and by 6 to 8 percent for larger vehicles, Mohammed Albaraheem, head of the transport team at the SCEE, was quoted as saying by a local publication recently.

The announcement was made during a workshop hosted by the Asharqia Chamber on Thursday morning. The aim is to improve energy efficiency of vehicles, which account for 23 percent of total energy consumption in the Kingdom.

By 2030, the Kingdom is expected to have 27 million vehicles on the road. Vehicles consume about 1,860 barrels of oil currently, with an annual increase of 5 percent.

According to Albaraheem, regulations for tire requirements issued by the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization in April 2014 identified three levels of roll resistance and wet-surface traction.

All distributors and agencies are expected to comply with the regulations by November 2017. All medium and large vehicles have to have energy efficiency cards for imported tires starting from November 2016.

Albaraheem said the regulations cover off-road, temporary, motorbike, and old vehicle tires. Suppliers and manufacturers would be penalized for failing to comply by the deadlines.

Penalties include the government banning companies from producing and importing tires. He said the regulations are based on standards and specifications implemented in the United States, Brazil, South Korea and the European Union.

“As you drive down the road your tires rotate, flexing toward and away from the road’s surface, which causes energy to be lost,” according to the European Union’s guide on fuel-efficient tires.

“The amount of energy lost depends on the tires’ rolling resistance. The most energy efficient tires have a low rolling resistance. This means less energy — and less fuel — is needed to move the vehicle. As tires account for 20 to 30 percent of a vehicle’s fuel consumption, choosing energy efficient tires results in fuel cost savings,” it stated on its website.

Truong Duy