The development of new energy vehicles is flourishing, and many tire manufacturers have sensed the business opportunities. Specialized tires more suitable for new energy vehicles are emerging in the market. An employee of a listed tire company told reporters, "Specialized tires for new energy vehicles will be a major trend in the industry's future."
While enthusiasm is high on the production side, reactions from certain sales outlets seem a bit lukewarm. A recent visit by a reporter from the Securities Daily to an auto parts city revealed that there are relatively few shops selling specialized tires for new energy vehicles.
So, are specialized tires for new energy vehicles truly a trend, or are they just another "concept" created by manufacturers?
Production Side: Manufacturers Actively Positioning
A reporter called a tire company located in Qingdao, Shandong, and was informed that the company has launched a tire specifically designed for new energy vehicles. This product is primarily used for long-distance trucks, buses, and other new energy commercial vehicles.
"The difference between this type of tire and regular tires isn't too significant," the employee further disclosed. "However, compared to traditional fuel vehicles, new energy vehicles place more emphasis on tire performance in terms of load-bearing capacity, safety, noise, wear resistance, and other indicators. As the market penetration of new energy vehicles increases in the future, these specialized tires will become an important direction for industry development."
It is understood that there are already some tire products in the market that are specifically designed for use with new energy vehicles. For example, in May of this year, the Hankook iON New Energy Tire family officially entered the Chinese market, including two products: the iON ST AS Comfort New Energy Tire and the iON evo High-Performance New Energy Tire. In March of last year, Pirelli also launched its first series of tires developed for new energy vehicles in North America, called the P Zero All Reason Plus series. In December 2021, Bridgestone released its first specialized tire for new energy vehicles—the Turanza T005 EV.