Micheline VP Katelyn Berry Keen on Best Tires for EV
About 20% of all cars on the road will be electric vehicles (EV) by the year 2027. But just three years after that, fully 65% of vehicles will be EVs.
That’s according to Katelyn Berry, vice president and general manager of Michelin. She said that consumer consciousness about EVs is rising rapidly. That will translate to “explosive growth” in this key transportation sector.
The emergence of electric vehicles as the dominant form of personal and commercial transportation has significant implications for tire manufacturers. EVs won’t be using just the “same old” tires that serve on internal combustion engine automobiles, trucks and recreational vehicles, Berry said.
The engineering and a host of variables for building EVs mean all-new kinds of tires that must be designed to meet the specific demands of this new mode of transportation.
EVs are generally heavier than traditional vehicles and generate more torque than their counterparts. This results in faster wear for tires. Furthermore, without the roar produced by a gas or diesel engine, the cabin of an EV is much quieter. That, in turn, makes road noise more obvious.
Consumers are also interested in the lifespan and range of tires they choose to buy, not to mention performance.
Katelyn Berry said Michelin has been weighing these variables for more than a decade. The company is determined to create the best tires on the market for EVs.
Berry said Michelin’s 100 years of experience in the tire industry has always been marked by innovation and a determination to be on the leading edge of tire technology.