Extending a battery-powered electric car’s range up to 50 kilometers could be as simple as changing a tire.
Michelin claims its latest electric tires, thanks to low rolling resistance, can add up to 50 kilometers of range on a single charge.
Bruno De Feraudy, senior vice president of Michelin, said: “If you use a particular EV tire, you increase the range of the battery to 30 to 50 km, which is not bad. auto expert at the company’s research and development facility at Clermont Ferrand in France.
“Tires play an even more important role in the electrification of vehicles. Michelin is a company that enjoys near-impossible challenges.
“That’s why we’re launching a new product line, E Primacy. They are a specially adapted range for electric vehicles. You have to improve rolling resistance because that’s one way to protect the battery.”
Beyond the range, De Feraudy says developing tires for the electric car world has posed new challenges including dealing with the extra vehicle weight, the challenge of high-torque performance right away. from the top and reduce cabin noise.
“We are still pushing the compromise a little more,” he said. auto expert.
“We have to compensate for the torque load, which is terrible. And you have to reduce the noise, because a big part of the noise comes from the road.”
De Feraudy says Michelin has focused on range-extending tires with lower rolling resistance for the past five years, but it is unlikely to make much more progress in the next five years.
“We will reduce rolling resistance. But what is the goal? I do not know. There is a limit. There is a limit because you can’t have zero drag.
“Then you have no grip, you will go straight and you will never stop. It will be like driving on ice.”
According to De Feraudy, Michelin engineers are constantly developing new solutions for the EV world.
“You will meet some engineers and sometimes you have to drag them down, because they will come up with a solution that no one can believe.
“Sometimes it creates solutions that are beyond your imagination. But with some time and with some cash, it works. So you can actually change the model. With the battery, you add from 300 to 700 kg. Now we can carry an extra 300 kg on the car [with the E Premacy]that’s a big improvement.
“It’s a paradigm shift with battery-powered cars. Just by changing the texture of the tires.”
While De Feraudy highlighted the improvements, he said Michelin is not yet finished with electric tyres.
“So, where is the limit? Nobody know. But there is still a lot of work to be done to improve the tyres.”
