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Goodyear Reveals Tires Designed to Withstand EV Instant Torque Better

Browse through any Tesla forum and one of the main topics you'll come across - usually started by people who bought their vehicles more recently without doing proper research - is the speed at which the cars devour the tires.
Goodyear "EfficientGrip Performance with Electric Drive Technology 4 photos
Photo: Goodyear
Goodyear "EfficientGrip Performance with Electric Drive TechnologyGoodyear "EfficientGrip Performance with Electric Drive TechnologyGoodyear "EfficientGrip Performance with Electric Drive Technology
With 20-inch wheels and a performance-oriented nature, satisfying this quench can get very expensive, very soon. So while you're definitely saving money on maintenance compared to an ICE car, the tire bill might compensate a little too much for the owners' liking.

However, you're able to do 0-60 mph in under three seconds while having your entire family on board, so there's at least that to provide some comfort every few months or so when you visit the local tire shop with your credit card at hand.

The initial goal for tire manufacturers once EVs came out was to reduce the rolling resistance and thus make them as efficient as possible. This would help extend the vehicle's range - the holy grail of electrics at the time - while also provide a welcome side effect in the reduction of road noise.

With the advent of Tesla, however, and with the rest of the carmakers jumping on the same wagon, EVs have now turned into these acceleration monsters that need to have tires capable of dealing with the tremendous amounts of torque coming their way.

Goodyear is the first tire manufacturer to make a move and it has just introduced its solution at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. It's called the "EfficientGrip Performance with Electric Drive Technology" and while it's quite a mouthful, it promises to make it worth their while for anyone who dares to pronounce the name the next time they buy rubber for their EV.

According to the company, traditional tires may wear up to 30 percent faster than its new one when mounted on electric vehicles, which means you get to extend the intervals between tire changes by up to 50 percent. Of course, this all makes sense if the "EfficientGrip Performance with Electric Drive Technology" doesn't cost 50 percent more than a conventional tire.

There's no word on the price yet, but Goodyear says it is in talks with car manufacturers to have the first EVs equipped with the new tires as soon as next year. The company also claims the new product will help boost the vehicle's efficiency while also reducing road noise and allowing the same level of performance as other tires, which almost sounds too good to be true.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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