Traditional tyres can wear out up to 30% faster on electric vehicles due to the powerful, instant torque from electric motors and the additional vehicle weight from heavy battery packs, says Goodyear.

“The combination of increasing regulations to reduce emissions, the desire to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and rapid gains in battery technology is creating an ideal environment for electric vehicles,” says Goodyear EMEA president  Chris Delaney, “we are working with automakers to introduce our Electric Drive Technology next year designed to address the unique performance requirements of this growing vehicle segment.”

In addition to tyre durability requirements, automakers are pressing for enhanced rolling resistance on electric vehicles. Increasing range is a high priority for consumers due to an underdeveloped electric recharging infrastructure in most countries. Quiet and comfort from tyres is another consideration as, at low speeds, electric vehicles generate as little as half the amount of noise as traditional vehicles.

To address these challenges, the EfficientGrip Performance prototype with Electric Drive Technology offers these performance solutions:

· Extended Mileage from Innovative Tread Design: The tread’s thinner sipes (small channels) allow for a larger rubber contact patch on the road surface than traditional radial grooves. With more rubber on the road, the tyre can better cope with high levels of torque while maintaining high performance in wet conditions. The tread design also prevents sound waves from entering its grooves, reducing interior and exterior tyre noise.

· High-Load-Carrying Construction: The tyre cavity shape has been optimised to support the additional vehicle weight from batteries while maintaining an optimal tread footprint for high performance.

· Extended Driving Range: The material properties of the tread compound have been tuned for ultra-low rolling resistance to extend the vehicle range while coping with high levels of torque. In addition, the sidewall has been designed to reduce aerodynamic drag and the profile yields less rotating mass, resulting in reduced energy consumption.