New tires for electric cars
In general, we could largely refer you to our 2021 guide on all-season tires , as there have not been many changes in product lines in the past year.
However, there is a new trend among tire manufacturers. They are increasingly focused on making tires designed specifically for electric vehicles. A few years ago, these same manufacturers did in fact begin producing tires marketed as offering less rolling resistance. This idea had some success. Now, though, they’ve had to get more serious about it with the advent of so many new electric models.
It's hard to believe, but the major tire brands are now realizing that current and especially future electric vehicles pose a certain challenge to tire engineers and designers. It's not that current tires aren't effective for electric cars. It's just that electric cars require more effort!
These engineers and designers have seen that electrically powered vehicles are getting heavier and that electric motors respond more quickly to acceleration, with the torque of the electric motor adding torsion to the tires.
Back at the drawing board, tire specialists are revising the load and stress capacities of tires for not only electric cars but all hybrid vehicles. That's why you're going to see a whole new generation of specific tires coming onto the market. Of course, they will also have less rolling resistance for better electricity "savings"! So it's easy to see how these tires could have a good effect on the more regular vehicles of motorists looking for the best fuel economy possible.
Several manufacturers have some type of alternative tire for both electric and hybrid vehicles to showcase this year, while others are expected to unveil some in the coming months. What follows is a sort of "crystal ball" of the tire world. Not everything is definitive, but with the number of electric cars starting to hit the road, it's time to start talking about them.
The Bridgestone Ecopia tire isn't necessarily brand new. It has been offered for a few years by Japan's largest tire manufacturer, Bridgestone, and is already available in various sizes at relatively reasonable prices. It is not specifically identified as an "electric vehicle" tire, but it was one of the first tires to come from the factory on electric or hybrid cars, first from Japan. The more recent Ecopia EP422 are sold at regular prices. It remains to be seen whether Bridgestone will rebrand it to better compete.
The Goodyear Electric Drive GT is a true newcomer to the market, but this tire is also a harbinger of what's to come. For now, all we know is that it's only available in one size, 255/45-19, which coincides with one of Tesla's most popular sizes. Its main characteristic is its quietness (because we all know that in the case of EVs, the noise of the tires in the passenger compartment cannot be covered by the noise of the mechanics or the exhaust). Of course, we should also mention the low rolling resistance. We're talking about a price of around $265 per unit.
French tire giant Michelin has begun announcing the arrival of tires specifically dedicated to electric vehicles. However, their commercialization in Canada has not yet been confirmed, at least at the time of writing.
For the moment, Michelin has unveiled its Pilot Sport EV, whose sizes are mainly intended for luxury cars like...Tesla. Note that the brand new Hyundai Ioniq 5 runs on Pilot Sport EVs in some markets, which would require Michelin to keep this type of tire in stock in case of replacement. There is also the ePrimacy which would be intended for more affordable vehicles but, again, for the moment, their availability seems to be limited to the European market...
(Current Tesla Model Ys are available with Michelin Pilot All Season 4s).