Market will be ultimate judge in EV tire debate

AKRON — Can tires built for internal-combustion engine (ICE) vehicles support the unique demands of electric vehicles (EV), or should tires be purpose-built to address an EV's added weight, torque and reduced noise-generation characteristic?

This is a good debate to have in the U.S. right now, where EV adoption is not as enthusiastic as the rest of the world, because demand for EV tires is largely on the original equipment (OE) side. Tire makers still have time to prepare themselves for increased replacement demand.

Though small, the U.S. EV market is mighty. In 2022, for example, EVs made up only 5.6% of all U.S. light-vehicle registrations, according to data from Experian Automotive. EV registration, however, increased last year by 57% of 2021.

Continental A.G.'s tire business has been the most straightforward on this topic: Basically, why change a good thing?

"Conti is among the OE market leaders in the EV passenger/light truck segment; demand for our products by leading EV manufacturers shows our products are already meeting challenging performance requirements of the segment," Jochen Etzel, CEO of Continental Tire the Americas, said.

"Mileage, efficiency (rolling resistance) and low noise are key performance criteria. In the development of our existing portfolio, these are also performances that we look to optimize, and these products perform at high levels," he said.

"We do not believe we add value by introducing additional 'EV-specific' SKU complexity into the market developed around the same performance criteria that is utilized in our existing product portfolio."

Kumho Tire USA Inc. said its engineers are taking a similar approach in utilizing the firm's OE fitments to dictate its EV strategy. Shawn Denlein, president of sales and marketing at Kumho, said EV customers still are using non-EV tires despite the push from manufacturers to create EV lineups.

"From an OE standpoint, we're utilizing what you could call ICE-vehicle tires and developing EV-modified versions that align with the performance issues the EV requires," he said. "On the replacement side, we are moving in the same direction."

Kenda Tire USA Inc. also said it believes its tires can be adapted to the needs of the manufacturers.

"The primary EV vehicle tire-application differences relate to adapted needs for improvements in rolling resistance, noise level and the effects on wear due to higher torque," Brandon Stotsenburg, vice president, automotive, for Kenda Tire, said.

"Kenda is developing or adapting the technologies to provide both OE and aftermarket customers with tires that will offer EV applications premium performance at a value price. In North America, we intend to offer products under the Vezda and Klever umbrella that will meet the needs of EV customers."

Stan Chandgie, executive vice president of sales at Yokohama Tire Corp., said the company sees "a window of opportunity" for EV-specific tires.

"While all of our tires are suitable for most EVs, there is an unmet consumer need in the market. And our intent is to meet that need, above and beyond what current OE tires deliver," he said. "By the beginning of next year, we'll have our first UHP all-season EV-specific tire in the market."

Michelin Group said it continues to adapt products with "new technologies that improve rolling resistance, maximize performance and minimize the environmental impact of mobility."

"Knowing that quieter EV motors highlight tire noise on uneven or rough road surfaces, EV-specific tires, like the Michelin Pilot Sport EV, often come with acoustic dampening foam or other advanced technology designed to help reduce noise," Michelin said.

Sailun Tire Americas (STA) sees the opportunity in the replacement market, especially for a "value-tier" tire. Sailun debuted its ERange EV tire portfolio early this year, and sales have exceeded expectations, according to Ron Dolan, president of STA, the North American subsidiary of China's Sailun Group Co. Ltd.

Dolan said expectations were "modest" entering an emerging market, but the ERange EV is getting "a lot of reordering from our customers in Canada and from TBC. It's going well, and we're quite excited about."

Qingdao Doublestar Group, in announcing the construction of a new plant in Cambodia, said it plans to bring a new EV tire line to North America.

"The EV tire is different than a normal tire," Linda Deng, Doublestar vice president and chair of Doublestar Cambodia, said. "We use a special compound to make the tire lighter to save electricity. And, the second is the noise — EV tire noise must be much lower to make a better experience for the drivers."

The tire is popular in the Chinese market where "more than 50% is EV tire," she said. Doublestar expects their North American version to do the same.

Hankook Tire America Corp. unveiled a pair of tires on June 26 designed for high-performance EVs, the iON evo and iON evo SUV.

"EVs are one of the most essential factors in future mobility, and we are proud to be a first mover in this business," Hankook Tire America President Rob Williams said.

"The EV industry is relatively new in the industry's short history, meaning much can still be done. We can be quite creative and innovative in the industry. However, at the same time, we are very careful as it's fairly new, and we need to always care about safety, making this an exciting and yet very serious job."

The growth of the EV market seems inevitable, though consumers — and their wallets — will decide to what extent. The only thing for sure is that it will be fun to watch.

The tire industry, for its part, is approaching it like they do with every emerging market — cautious steps forward with an eye on the horizon.