With automakers pouring billions of dollars into electric vehicle research and development over the past several years, there have been notable efforts to develop the perfect tire for electric cars. On average, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are much heavier, generate more torque, and accelerate faster than gas and diesel-powered cars. This puts a lot of strain on their tires and causes them to wear out faster, forcing EV drivers to replace them more frequently and increasing their overall vehicle maintenance costs.
As a result, researchers are working hard to develop the ideal electric vehicle tire that can handle the specific pressures associated with EVs while remaining environmentally friendly, making less noise, and providing extended range by improving electric vehicle efficiency. With consumers buying millions of cars every year, the worldwide tire market is worth more than $200 billion with 2.5 billion tires sold annually.
Unfortunately, the pneumatic tire that’s currently used in both conventional gas-powered vehicles and electric cars is also responsible for a great deal of pollution, both noise and environmental. The global transition to electric cars offers manufacturers a chance to develop a new tire for the electric vehicle age; an ideal tire that balances eco-friendliness with efficiency and performance.
Carmakers are especially concerned with optimizing the EV range as bad tires can lower efficiency by as much as 7%. A high-quality tire will have less rolling resistance, allowing cars to coast for longer distances before they stop and reducing the amount of energy needed to travel a similar distance. With 7% more efficiency, a good tire also has 7% more range, providing drivers with good tires with a little extra power.
Firms like Continental Tires that are in the tire design game have even begun experimenting with nanomaterials like nanosilica and nanocarbon to improve tire durability, traction, and performance, while some are looking into using bio-based compounds such as dandelion rubber and guayule. Continental’s principal technology development engineer, Thomas Wanka, says rolling resistance can be influenced by a myriad of tire components like tread depth and the rubber compounds used.
Reducing tread depth can lower rolling resistance but it reduces the longevity of tires. However, Wanka says Continental has come up with soft rubber compounds that can reduce both noise and rolling resistance without reducing the vehicle’s mileage. This rubber compound could potentially alleviate one of the greatest challenges in tire development; how to reduce rolling resistance without sacrificing longevity and mileage.
Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, the CEO of startup tire firm Enso, says that although the industry tends to argue that improving one tire metric often comes at the expense of another metric, existing technology can already improve the quality of vehicle tires. With the vehicle industry transitioning from fossil fuel cars to EVs, Erlendsson notes, boosting tire efficiency and durability while limiting tire pollution is critical.
EV makers like Ferrari N.V. (NYSE: RACE) that have been known for making iconic vehicles will greatly appreciate the development of specialized tires designed to perform at their best cost-effectively while allowing the brands to showcase their products riding on the firms’ reputations built over several decades.
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