Pirelli is looking to get into the EV game. The Italian company has launched a new line of tires made specifically for electric vehicles. It will bear the designation ‘HL’, meaning high load, to show it can handle the extra weight carried by electric cars. Electric vehicles are heavier than their ICE counterparts due to the weight of the battery.
The new tires can support 20% more weight than a standard tire and are more efficient. They produce low rolling resistance and ensure a high level of driving comfort.
Pirelli is not the first automotive supplier to target the electric vehicle industry as it continues to evolve. Daikin, for example, is working on a refrigerant that is meant to add 50 percent more range to electric vehicles. The Italian tire company had spent the last few years working on the new tires.
According to Pierangelo Misani, SVP of Pirelli’s R&D and Cyber, “The search for cutting-edge technical solutions has always been at the very heart of Pirelli’s business. The attention we devote to all new forms of sustainable mobility now leads us to technology that is capable of anticipating the future demands of car manufacturers for their new electric and hybrid vehicles, which increasingly require specialized performance from tires.”
Lucid Motors, the American electric vehicle startup, is set to be the first automaker to use Pirelli’s new HL tires. Pirelli has credited Lucid as contributing to the development process. Precisely, Lucid will fit the P ZERO HL tires on its cars.
“Lucid Air represents a technological breakthrough in terms of efficiency and performance. The new Pirelli HL tires are integral to achieving such benchmarks,” said Eric Bach, Lucid’s Senior Vice President of Product and Chief Engineer.
Electric models coming soon from Lucid include the Lucid Air, which is available in several trims, and an SUV codenamed Gravity. Lucid has spent the last few years optimizing the Air to eke more performance out of it. Deliveries are expected to start later this year.
Pirelli has almost one and a half centuries of tire-making history, and its products have powered Formula motorcycles.