Hankook Tire is expanding its market share in the electric vehicle (EV) original equipment sector with tires for the Audi e-tron GT.

The company says the market for EV is growing quicker than any other vehicle category. Hankook says in Europe, the increase in 2020 is around 138%, compared to the previous year (source:dpa).

According to the company, Hankook is fitted on the Audi e-tron GT ex works with its Ventus S1 evo 3 ev, which has been specially developed for the needs of electric vehicles. In size 225/55R19 XL 103Y on the front axle, 275/45R19 XL 108Y on the rear axle, the Ventus S1 evo 3 ev is host to many technical refinements that help to optimally bring the performance of electrically powered sports cars to the road, the company says.

The company says for the Audi e-tron GT, the tread pattern of the Ventus S1 evo 3 has been adapted especially for electric vehicles to reduce tire noise by approximately three decibels. In addition, in order to cope with stresses caused by the high performance of electric sports cars, the tire is reinforced with so-called bead-packing technology, as well as a high lateral stiffness for particularly precise handling even at high speeds, Hankook says. In addition to supporting sporty characteristics, Hankook’s EV tire is also an important component for comfort, as Grand Turismos like the Audi e-tron GT are designed to enable comfortable travel even on long journeys, according to the company.

To meet the specific demands on an electric vehicle like the Audi e-tron GT, Hankook’s developers have also optimized the vulcanization process for the tire compound according to the application to ensure the right balance of temperature, timing and pressure. The Ventus S1 evo 3 ev achieves 30% more durability compared to a standard tread compound. Abrasion performance has been improved by 5% compared to the conventional model and overall rolling resistance has been reduced by 13%, the company says.