Goodyear News

The design of the concept tyre is uniquely suited to complement the performance requirements of electric vehicles:

• The tyre’s narrow shape in combination with its large diameter leads to reduced rolling resistance levels and to a reduced aerodynamic drag and thus reduced energy consumption.
• Rolling resistance is mainly caused by the energy loss due to the deformation of the tyre during driving. Less deformation means less energy loss and hence, less rolling resistance. Goodyear engineers used the latest computer simulation technologies to analyze the tyre’s potential deformation behavior during driving. The larger rim diameter reduces the overall amount of rubber that is needed, which leads to less rubber deformation during driving.
• The large tyre diameter requires fewer tire rotations for a certain distance, which in turn results in less heat build up and tire deformation, which again leads to lower rolling resistance levels and less energy consumption.
• Electric engines often provide a relatively constant torque, even at very low speeds, which increases the acceleration performance of an electric vehicle in comparison to a vehicle with a similar internal combustion engine. This required the development of a modified tread design in combination with a new tread compound to ensure excellent grip especially on dry, and to provide high levels of mileage.

"This EfficientGrip concept tyre showcases our enormous research and development efforts to support the development of electric vehicles with tyres that provide extremely low rolling resistance and noise levels in combination with a very high level of wet performance. Fitted on a standard car this tyre would give 30 percent less rolling resistance which leads to about 6 percent less fuel consumption compared to an average standard summer tyre"says Jean-Pierre Jeusette, Goodyear Dunlop Director Tire Technology Consumer Tyres for Europe, Middle East and Africa.