South Korea’s tire makers are fiercely vying to get ahead in the electric vehicle (EVs) tire market that is expected to grow rapidly in line with the rising popularity of EVs across the world.

According to industry sources on Wednesday, Hankook Tire & Technology has been in the forefront in supply of EV-dedicated tires among Korean tire makers. It currently supplies its EV-only tires to new EV models, including Hyundai Ioniq 6, Porche Taycan, Audi e-tron, BMW i4, Volkswagen ID.4, and Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.

Last year, it provided its Kinergy AS EV tires to Volkswagen ID.4 for its U.S. tour. Its tires demonstrated excellent performance, driving 57,000 kilometers across the American continent.

Kumho Tire launched its EV tires, Majesty 9 Solus TA91 EV and Crugen HP71 EV, in July. Currently, it provides its tires for Kia EV6. Nexen Tire also has set up new lines to produce EV-only tires.

EV tires require different technologies from general tires. EVs do not produce engine noise, which makes road noise seem louder when tires touch road surfaces. Therefore, noise reduction technology is essential for EV tires. In addition, EV-only tires must have greater durability as they have to endure higher loads from heavy batteries installed in EVs.

EV-only tires currently account for a share of less than 10 percent in the overall tire market, but tire makers are aggressively seeking to get ahead its rivals to enhance their brand awareness and value before the market fully blooms.

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]