The EfficientGrip Performance prototype with Electric Drive Technology is Goodyear’s latest step in developing tires that meet the specific demands of electric vehicles.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. offered a sneak peek of its EfficientGrip Performance with Electric Drive Technology, a prototype tire for the growing electric vehicle market, at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show.

The tire, which will be on the road by 2019 in Europe, offers more mileage with its tread design that features thinner sipes, which allows for a larger rubber contact patch on the road than traditional radial grooves.

Goodyear testing revealed that traditional tires can wear out up to 30% faster on electric vehicles due to the powerful, instant torque from electric motors and the additional vehicle weight from heavy battery packs.

With the EfficientGrip Performance, the tire’s tread design prevents sound waves from entering its grooves, reducing interior and exterior tire noise. It also features a high-load-carrying construction with a shape optimized to support additional vehicle weight from batteries while maintaining its tread footprint. Its tread compound has been tuned for ultra-low rolling resistance to extend the vehicle range while coping with high levels of torque. The tire’s sidewall has also been designed to reduce aerodynamic drag yielding less rotating mass resulting in reduced energy consumption.

“The combination of increasing regulations to reduce emissions, the desire to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and rapid gains in battery technology is creating an ideal environment for electric vehicles,” said Chris Delaney, president of Goodyear Europe, Middle East and Africa. “We are working with automakers to introduce our Electric Drive Technology next year designed to address the unique performance requirements of this growing vehicle segment.”