Michelin Study: Range Potential for E-Car Tires Underestimated

Many potential electric car users are still concerned about the range. This was revealed by a study from the Allensbach Institute, which Michelin has now published in excerpts. The reference to tires, which are specifically developed for electric mobility and bring additional kilometers in range, can be deduced from this—provided users are aware of it!

With suitable tires, the vehicles roll considerably longer before they need to head for a charging station. “The trend in car purchases is clearly moving towards electric. For 2030, we expect more than a third of new registrations to be battery-powered electric vehicles,” explains Mark Perbaums, Head of Original Equipment Sales at Michelin. However, when buying a new electric car, attention should not only be paid to the battery capacity:

“Special tires for electric drives can make a significant contribution to a higher range. Especially on long journeys, such as holidays, this brings more comfort.” 

Many electric car drivers are unaware of the importance of tires for range

Interestingly, according to a representative study commissioned by Michelin, more than half of electric car drivers are unaware that there are special tires for their vehicle and that these could also increase the range. More than half of the respondents consider this range increase important with regard to tires.

For example, according to the manufacturer, the Michelin e.Primacy can increase the range by up to seven percent. Specifically, this means that an electric car with a stated range of 450 kilometers could extend its radius to around 480 kilometers with this tire. Thus, the vehicle could, depending on driving style, travel from Paris to Hamburg (915 kilometers) with just one charging stop. With a non-optimized tire in terms of rolling resistance, at least two charging stops would be required, depending on driving style. On the way to the destination, this range gain can therefore mean the decisive kilometers.

But Michelin now also has special tires for sporty electric drivers in its portfolio: the Pilot Sport EV, which is specifically tailored to the handling and range requirements of electric sports cars.

Sustainability and recycling are extremely important

E-car drivers naturally place particular emphasis on careful resource management. This is also confirmed by the Michelin study, according to which almost half of the respondents consider sustainability an important factor when purchasing tires. Michelin sees itself as a manufacturer responsible for sustainable tire production: Starting in 2024, the company will use recycled plastic in tires. With the high-tech recycling process, up to 143 yogurt cups and about 12.5 PET bottles can be processed in a single tire.

What does this mean?

There is a lot of potential in tires to gain range—which can be the decisive miles, especially in electric cars. It is interesting how little users know about the potential of these black round objects. The tire industry still has a lot of educational work to do here.