Nokian's Tire Concept Technology Will Make You Feel Like James Bond

Winter is a challenging time for car owners. EV batteries drain faster in colder temperatures because drivers spend more energy on cabin heating, and many wheels lose traction when snow starts to fall and roads freeze over. For the latter scenario, some people might break out the tire chains and studded tires, but a new wheel design can deploy road-gripping studs when they are needed.

Recently, Nokian Tyres unveiled what it called "the world's first non-studded winter tire with studs." This revolutionary car technology, the Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta 01, stores studs inside the tire until the temperature drops to a certain threshold, at which point the studs automatically pop out (without popping the tire, mind you). This technology lets users rely on the safety of studded tires during icy weather and then switch to more traditional tires during the rest of the year without having to physically swap out wheels. It's a technology that feels like something right out of a James Bond movie ... or that one scene in "Batman Forever" where ice skates pop out of Batman and Robin's boots.

Nokian Tyres claims the Hakkapeliitta 01 is 10% better at gripping icy roads and 5% better at gripping wet roads than the company's prior winter tires, all while reducing road wear by 30%. Nokian even claims these new wheels are quieter than its competitors. And of course, most of the Hakkapeliitta 01's construction uses renewable resources such as pine resin and canola oil. If we can't use that oil for cooking due to its high PAH levels — which are linked to cancer — at least we found another use for the material.

Nokian Tyres has been in the winter tire business since 1934 and made a name for itself as one of the leaders in car tire production. The Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta 01 is the company's latest offering, but the concept didn't just spring out of the ether.

The Hakkapeliitta 01 began development in 2014 as a concept tire. Back then, Nokian Tyres wanted to give drivers control over the Hakkapeliitta 01's studs; users could raise and lower the components with the press of a button. However, according to Motor Trend, the technology would have been prohibitively expensive — development manager Mikko Liukkula stated they would have "cost more than the Porsche they were on."

As time went on, the concept tire evolved into the automatic system it is today. One of the key factors to its release (at least according to Motor Trend) was a proprietary rubber compound that softened in warm weather just enough to absorb the studs and mitigate any potential wear. Moreover, the final version of the Hakkapeliitta 01 features two kinds of studs: Center studs built for acceleration and braking, and shoulder studs for turning and changing lanes. The Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta 01 is compatible with passenger vehicles, crossovers, and sport utility vehicles. Since the company sells plenty of EV-compatible tires (EVs require special tires that can survive more torque and provide better traction), a Hakkapeliitta 01 for EVs might not be far behind.