Don't put standard tyres on your EV!

With the emergence of electric vehicles, tyre manufacturers have had to adapt to new demands placed on tyres due to the new vehicle specifications. This makes it important to ensure you use EV tyres. Here are some factors that EVs need to deal with that makes them different than standard tyres.

EV batteries are heavy, due to the weight of the battery and reinforced framework. EVs can be up to 30% heavier than combustion engine vehicles. This means tyres need more reinforcement to deal with the extra downforce and rolling resistance which influences the tread wear and overall tyre performance.

When it comes to generating the amount of force necessary to rotate the wheels of a car (torque), fuel-powered cars and EVs have different methods. As EVs don't require fuel, they use electric currents to generate the force necessary to turn the wheels, as there is no combustion required, this happens instantly, meaning wheels need to be prepared to deal with torque from the get-go.

The only noise made by EVs comes from their tires and wind resistance. Most manufacturers have made the sipes in the tyres less spaced out which does work to reduce noise, but some leading brands have started lining the inside of the tyres with foam which acts like a sound absorber, this has been recorded to reduce tyre noise by up to 9db.

So, in conclusion, it is important to ensure that you fit EV specific tyres to you EV to get optimum performance from your vehicle and your tyres.