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Good question. In fact this is an issue on ALL electric cars, as they tend to be much heavier, which is directly correlated with tyre wear. That said, wear can
by toss1 3y ago
Good question. In fact this is an issue on ALL electric cars, as they tend to be much heavier, which is directly correlated with tyre wear.
That said, wear can be substantially mitigated by how the tyres are designed and manufactured, particularly the tread compounds. But, long-wearing compounds are generally inversely correlated with grip, so there is a balance to be found there.
There is also the fact that manufactured seem to absolutely not GAF about weight anymore, even on internal-combustion cars, so the ICE-vs-EV weight difference may be narrowing.
But yes, tires for heavier cars are more expensive by themselves, and ceteris paribus, wear faster, so can definitely be a significant expense factor over the 5-10 year terms in this article and discussion.
- widdakay 3y agoLook at the weight of some cars for comparison. Modern EVs aren't too far off as you say when compared with comparable performance cars: Tesla model 3: 3920lbs (SR) 4056lbs (LR) Kia ev6: 4017-4255lbs Average new US vehicle: 4100lbs BMW M3: 3,840-3,990 lbs BMW M5: ~5300lbs Audi A5: 3,682-3,990 lbs Toyota Camry: ~3500lbs Toyota Prius: 3,097-3,340lbs Dodge charger: 5100-5900lbs
- toss1 3y agoYes, those BMWs are insane weights for an "M" ("Motorsport") series. Especially considering that it's common knowledge in motorsports (although evidently less common than it should be) that more power only increases acceleration performance, but lighter weight increases performance of acceleration, braking, cornering, and tyre wear! Plus, reducing weight is compounding; take out one chunk of mass, and other components can also be made lighter, e.g., reduce the body mass, and you can fit lighter suspension components, brakes, wheels, tires, etc., and the light-weighting compounds.