Tire makers have started designing and manufacturing tires specifically for EVs to help increase range. That’s where the most anxiety lies with all-electric vehicles, so automakers want to eke out every last mile.
Tires can help by reducing rolling resistance, defined as the energy that the vehicle needs to send to its tires to maintain movement at a consistent speed over a surface. Less rolling resistance means less energy to keep the car moving and is best done without increasing tire pressure. However, Bridgestone has identified a couple of other things that make for an excellent EV tire.
Because electric vehicles inherently suffer less noise and vibration, it’s easier to hear tire noise. According to Bridgestone, however, EV drivers’ most common complaint about tires is how fast they wear out.
Currently, the average tire on an EV lasts around 30% less than its equivalent on a gas-powered car. To address these problems, Bridgestone has developed what it describes as two technologies; one called QuitTrack to address noise and PeakLife, which centers around a new rubber compound designed to retain the tire’s performance with added longevity.
