Do Electric Vehicles Need Special Tires?

Electric vehicles are a different breed from traditional gas-powered ones, or what could also be called internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. For starters, they run on electricity, not fuel, except for hybrids, which run on a combination of both. In addition, they have separate maintenance requirements. No oil is necessary since the engine is not combustion-based and does not need lubricant. So, that means no filling oil or oil changes altogether. But another component that's different, that you might not expect, is the tires. Electric vehicles require a different type of tire to be installed in order to match the unique engineering of the vehicle.

Initially, that can seem odd. Tires are tires, right? Except electric vehicles are much heavier than their ICE counterparts because they contain large, dense battery packs. Although groundbreaking new designs make them lighter every day, those batteries collectively can weigh hundreds or thousands more pounds than the engine block in a combustion vehicle. Not only do the tires need to support the heavier loads but also they have additional requirements because of how that affects road use of the EVs. That's why it helps to explore how electric vehicles operate to fully understand why they need those special tires.

Electric engines can achieve instant torque or on-demand torque. That's why EVs are devilishly quick off the line despite low top speeds. But that means the vehicle's movement and acceleration will cause a lot of friction. More friction means more traction.

To put it in simpler terms, a heavier vehicle with more torque, achieved faster, requires better traction on the road during acceleration. You get that improved traction by installing more capable tires that are designed to improve and optimize grip while reducing wear and tear. As tires wear, they lose traction, so if you're creating special tires, you'd want them to wear slower. There's a bit more involved, but that's why EVs have special tires and why you have to purchase and install these unique and often more expensive tires when replacing them on your vehicle. Sure, electric cars with a 3,000 mile battery range may soon be possible, but the tires would never allow it.

When a tire rotates and makes contact with the road's surface, it creates friction. The friction creates rolling resistance which actively resists movement and decreases the vehicle's overall range. The more resistance or work a vehicle has to do, the more energy used, and that affects battery life. Rolling resistance accounts for about 16 percent of the total energy used in an electric vehicle. EV tires have to be designed specifically to meet the unique needs of the technology. They need to wear slower, or hold up better overall, offer good traction, but retain a lower rolling resistance.

That's not all. Road noise is another factor considered when crafting EV tires. By nature, electric vehicles are much quieter than ICE vehicles. They make less noise inside and outside the cabin. The tires need to be made with materials and designed in a way that facilitates less noise production. If you just slap regular tires on an EV, ignoring all the other things that are different, they would produce much more noise. Despite their differences, tire maintenance on EVs is only slightly worse than a gas-powered car — they wear out 20% faster. But EV tires still have reasonable mileage options, roughly 20,000 to 40,000 miles on average. Altogether, though, even the cheapest electric vehicle on the market shows why the EV adoption rate isn't higher — they tend to be more expensive than ICE vehicles.