In the electric vehicle era, almost no part of the automobile will go unchanged — including tires. With more than 100 electric models scheduled for launch in the next few years, tire companies are under pressure as they wrestle with conflicting demands for a new generation of tires.
These new tires need to be stronger to handle increased vehicle weight and substantially greater torque created by electric motors. But the tires have to be made as light as possible to help EVs drive further between charges. They also will need to provide greater grip to keep the vehicle stable during hard acceleration. But the tread patterns will have to be quieter and generate less friction, or rolling resistance.
In addition to handling greater torque and higher loads from electric powertrains, tires on vehicles that will have some autonomous driving features are also going to be collecting and transmitting information. Most of today’s tires are not optimized for EVs.
Read the article at The Car Gossip.
