Pirelli: 500 homologations for Elect electric car tires and high original equipment rate

The Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli has received over 500 homologations for its Elect tire series since its market launch in 2019. The company sees this as a milestone and confirmation of its leadership in the electric vehicle segment. The tires are designed to better address the unique characteristics of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles with a special technology mix. The company points out that 7 out of 10 premium and prestige automakers chose these tires for original equipment.

“Electric cars differ significantly from conventional internal combustion engine vehicles and require special tires. The number of approvals we have received from major automakers confirms the correctness of our approach in offering a technology that can be adapted to the vehicle, the tire, and the seasonality," explains Piero Misani, Chief Technical Officer of Pirelli.

Through virtualization and artificial intelligence, products can be developed that increasingly meet the technical and performance-related requirements of electric vehicles, Misani continues to promote. Thanks to the low rolling resistance, the tires are said to enable up to 50 km more range, resulting in savings on charging costs of up to 150 euros per year, the manufacturer further advertises. Thanks to special compounds, they are also said to have more grip to handle the high torque of electric motors, as well as reinforced structures to withstand the load of electric vehicles. In total, tire wear is expected to be reduced by up to 20 percent.