How much rubber does the electric car burn?

The Audi E-tron changed the entire (tire) world. Not because of the car's body shape, but because the car model set an example of how an electric car is much heavier, which in turn required larger wheels. And by extension, a new type of tire.

The weight of cars has increased significantly in recent years, and the advent of electric cars is part of this. If we look at four common company car models, two electric and two with a combustion engine, we see the following differences:

• The two-wheel drive Audi Q4 40 e-tron Proline has a curb weight of 2,220 kg. Total weight 2,640 kg.

• The four-wheel drive VW ID.4 GTX has a curb weight of 2,340 kg. Total weight of 2,730 kg.

• VW Tiguan Allspace 4Motion 200 TDI. Curb weight 1,925 and total weight 2,480 kg.

• VW Passat Alltrack 190 TDI 4Motion. Curb weight 1,848, total weight 2,320 kg.

Electric car tires as a new concept

The change has affected tire manufacturers and the types of tires available on the market. The technical basis of the tires must be able to carry all the load that the total weight of a car entails – in other words, the tires must have a sufficiently high load index. The Audi E-tron was thus the start of car manufacturers starting to place new demands on tire manufacturers - to develop products to meet a new set of needs.

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This distinguishes electric car tires from "regular" tires

How do electric car tires differ from “regular” tires? Well, most electric cars have a limited top speed of 160-180 km/h. This means, in a nutshell, that the tires do not need to be approved for higher speeds than that. Furthermore, range is the single most important characteristic of tires. This takes precedence over characteristics such as safety, comfort, lifespan, grip or wet performance, which in other cases can be valued higher than fuel consumption.

The tires also often have different dimensions at the front and back of electric cars. Why, one might wonder. The change places higher demands on both storage and the wallet, as access is easily limited due to production volume and you also cannot switch the tires between the axles to increase their lifespan. The answer Linus Pröjtz at Teknikens värld received is clear: you choose to use tires with different dimensions to exclusively prime a longer range for the car with the tires.

Heavier cars cause increased wear and tear

Does the electric car burn more rubber than a fossil-fueled car? Yes, it seems so. Electric car tires are new on the market and heavier electric cars in combination with powerful engines cause increased wear and tear, and it has not yet been possible to extend the life of electric car tires to the same extent as other tires. But it is also important to remember that no tire is good at everything, you have to choose which properties are most important. If you drive an electric car, it is possibly low rolling resistance, which provides improved range, that is most important to you. If you drive a lot of track, you want better grip. And if you drive often and for a long time, your preference may be directional stability.

Regardless, we would like to conclude with a few words from Linus: "The tire is the only direct contact you have with the road when you drive. Without the tires, you would have hit the rim and then you would have gone off the road. Therefore, choose not only which car you drive, but also which tires it rolls on."