![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Bloomberg-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFor now at least, the no-compromise strategy is what car buyers want, particularly as the EV market transitions from early adopters to the mass market. Across Lucid\u2019s spectrum of models, customers generally opt for the bigger wheels, shortening their time between charges by up to 9%.<\/p>\n
Four out of five customers for Hyundai\u2019s hot new Ioniq 5 opt for the larger wheel. Similarly, 40% of folks sliding into Volkswagen\u2019s ID4 choose the 20-inch rims over the 19. At Polestar, only about one-third of buyers opt for the standard 19-inch wheel with a summer tyre; the rest check the box for a 20-inch wheel that sacrifices about 5% of the car\u2019s range.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a look,\u201d says Polestar engineer Glenn Parker. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen tyres get bigger and bigger and bigger over the years. …And as a performance brand you can\u2019t just say \u2018What\u2019s the most efficient tyre we can put on the car?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Tyre longevity isn\u2019t entirely out of drivers\u2019 hands. Ford\u2019s Allard says it\u2019s important to pay attention to the tire monitoring gauge and keep tires filled to the right air pressure. \u201cIf you\u2019re a cheap guy like me, you keep that screen up,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
But Big Tire is also hustling to make larger, stickier tyres stretch a little farther on the road. In the past 20 years, Michelin has managed to improve tyre efficiency by 20% without sacrificing stickiness and performance, according to Emburg.<\/p>\n
To get there, its engineers tinkered with tread patterns, the thickness and chemical composition of the rubber and the patterns of steel belts holding the whole package together. \u201cI\u2019ve been in the game 34 years and we\u2019re still looking at major steps in technology,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019ll optimize every part of the tyre for its mission.”<\/p>\n
Car companies are iterating, too. At the moment, the hub of the Polestar 2 wheel looks a little bit like a four-leaf clover, but it has been reworked for next year\u2019s model. The new version has far less open space, with five triangles poking toward the center like pieces of aluminum pie. The result: an extra two or three miles of range, even on the 20-inch wheels.<\/p>\n
\n