Designing the tyres suited for European climate, Apollo Tyres has released the Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV, Europe’s first all-season tyre developed specifically for battery electric vehicles and hybrids.
Compared to traditional tyres the Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV delivers superior handling and stability, offers significantly lower levels of rolling resistance, and delivers a quieter and more comfortable ride. It also has a lighter construction and a lower environmental impact during production.
The tyres will be initially available in seven sizes for 18- and 19-inch wheel rims, and with 12 additional sizes – including 17- and 20-inch options – on offer from next year.
Apollo Tyres says considerable research and development effort has been invested to ensure the tyre contributes to the vehicle’s overall efficiency and to maximise the driving range that can be achieved.
The rolling resistance is claimed to be 15% lower than that of the best-performing non-EV Vredestein all-season tyre, thanks to a carefully optimised blend of fourth-generation polymers and ‘smart’ silica for the tread compound, rim cushion and carcass. The vehicle efficiency is also enhanced by the tyre’s weight-saving construction, which features thinner sidewalls, a lower sidewall apex and lighter materials for the belt and cap ply.
The Quatrac Pro EV has become the first all-season tyre ever produced to be certified with the HL mark, signifying ‘High Load’ readiness (255/40 R 20 variant).
This confirms the tyre can carry 10% more weight than a reinforced ‘Extra Load’ (XL) tyre at the same pressure.
The new EV tyre carries the ‘Three Peak Mountain Snowflake’ symbol on its sidewall, verifying its all-weather performance and its proficiency in winter conditions. The sipes are deeper than might be typical for an all-season tyre to enable controlled movement of the tread blocks to aid grip and traction in snow throughout its life.
Alongside real-world testing across a variety of road surfaces, the Apollo Tyres team used computer simulation and AI-based acoustic modelling to give the Quatrac Pro EV an optimal sequence of ‘pitches’ – the repeated pattern of tread blocks – that generate a less obtrusive noise signature at different speeds. The result is a reduction of 1dB in external noise compared to a vehicle equipped with the equivalent non-EV Vredestein all-season tyre.
In addition, the tyre affords 5% better riding comfort due to its lighter construction and a ‘flex zone’ in the sidewall, ensuring a high degree of inherent compliance across poor-quality road surfaces.
The Quatrac Pro EV is being produced at Apollo Tyres’ two European production facilities, in Enschede in the Netherlands and Gyongyoshalasz in Hungary.
