Goodyear prototype tyre wants to tame torque-heavy electric cars
The strain electric cars put on rubber is something Goodyear wants to combat with its latest EfficientGrip Perfomance with Electric Drive tyres.
If you have ever been in a dual-motor Tesla or any other fast electric car, you will know they can accelerate with organ-crushing enthusiasm. So it makes sense that Goodyear is looking to release a tyre that has more chance of coping.
The Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance tyre with Electric Drive technology was unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, complete with a unique and rather clever tread pattern.
The design brief for an electric car tyre is a challenging one. Besides providing immense grip for the torque electric motors can muster instantly, it also needs to reduce rolling resistance to maximise the driving range and cope with the weight of a heavy battery.
Goodyear's solution involves using multiple thin tread channels, which create a larger contact surface and subsequently more grip. Not only that, the smaller grooves let in fewer sound waves, which supposedly decreases interior and exterior road noise.
Tyre or tire?
To combat the range requirement, meanwhile, the Goodyear tyre uses a special compound of rubber with low rolling resistance, while the sidewall is designed to reduce aerodynamic drag and, thanks to the profile, reduce rotating mass ─ another energy-saver.
As for the fact electric cars are heavy because of their heavy and sizable battery packs, the tyre cavity shape is optimised for additional weight.
Chris Delaney, Goodyear Europe president for the Middle East and Africa, told Elektrek: “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."
"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," he added.
It is hardly surprising major tyre manufacturers are taking electric cars seriously. Not only is it a growing market albeit slowly, traditional tyres are said to wear out up to 30 per cent faster (which is actually a good thing if you sell tyres).
Pricing details for the EfficientGrip Performance with Electric Drive rubbers will arrive nearer the release date, assuming Goodyear gives them and their fancy tread the green light.
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Comments (5)
interesting how tire makers have to rethink tire design because of the unique demands of EVs. Shared to the D_TRB USA facebook page!
This is all good, but when we gonna get airless tyres?
Are the going to make them for the AGM black series mercedes aswell because every time a certain orangutan drives one they are buggered.
This title is misleading. It makes it seem as if they are trying to slow EV’s not improve them. I recommend changing the title of this to better fit what the article talks about.
To me, the issue of having to tame all that torque is flattering for electric cars. Even if you make a lion tame, it can still rip your head off.