These Two Companies Are Teaming Up to Make EV Tires More Eco-Friendly

Tires are killing the environment, but these two companies are teaming up to make them better.
Written by Andrew Kidd
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Electric vehicles
may soon have even less of a negative environmental impact in the future.
Two companies are working together to tackle a huge environmental issue that every vehicle on the road today contributes to tire pollution.
As
Green Car Reports
writes, Hyundai and Michelin are partnering on environmentally friendly tires for electric vehicles. The two companies aim to jointly research more sustainable materials for vehicle tires, as well as implement a new tire monitoring system for autonomous vehicles.

Why are Hyundai and Michelin focusing on tires?

Electric vehicles, with their massive batteries and dense electric motors, are generally heavier than your standard internal combustion-powered vehicle. 
Hyundai and Michelin note that because of this added weight, electric vehicle tires tend to wear out faster than they normally would—which means less tire life, but also more pollution.
We're not just talking piles of EV tires filling garbage dumps or sitting in a ditch on the side of the road. According to research done by UK researchers
Emissions Analytics
, vehicle tires produce around 1,850 times more polluting particles than vehicle tailpipes. 
Rubber particulates from tires—created by wear from driving—can find their way into the soil or waterways. Per Emissions Analytics, the mass wear from new tires is 16 times greater than the maximum permitted emissions from tailpipes in the UK.
As the Guardian reports, governments do not currently regulate the wear rate on tires, nor do they regulate the chemicals within—many of which are cancer-causing carcinogens.
Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds
No spam · No long forms · No fees
Find insurance savings

How would these tires be different?

We don't really know yet. One could assume they'd need to be more durable to be able to handle the extra weight of an electric vehicle. Other than that, the two companies have been pretty quiet on details. 
Their ultimate goal, per Hyundai's
press release
, is to lessen the negative environmental impact of current tire technology while improving driving performance and efficiency—especially important as EV ranges continue to increase.
The two companies would also explore how to incorporate more sustainable eco-friendly materials into the tires, with a goal of making those components 50% of the tire's total weight, compared with 20% currently.
It's not the first time Hyundai and Michelin have inked an agreement to pursue new tire tech. In 2017, the two companies entered a five-year partnership to jointly develop a tire for the
Hyundai Ioniq 5
. This new agreement extends that relationship by another three years.
MORE: Consumer Reports Rates Best Car Tires of 2021

When will these tires roll out?

Hopefully sooner, rather than later. As mentioned before, tire wear particulate pollution is worse than tailpipe emissions. Car and van tires are responsible for more than 300,000 tonnes of particulate rubber pollution in the U.S. and UK yearly.
Air pollution already causes millions of deaths globally per year, and the small size of tire particulates means they can enter organs through the bloodstream. 
They're also entering waterways; Emissions Analytics notes that tires are the leading single cause of marine microplastics at 270 million tonnes per year.

Getting your car insured

Jerry
customers save an average of over $800 a year to insure their vehicle. And if you’re deterred by the work of gathering quotes and you’d rather leave it to someone else, the Jerry app sources quotes from 55+ insurance companies, like Nationwide, Allstate, and Travelers.
Jerry even helps cancel your old policy once you’ve made your pick. So don’t pay more for the same coverage, make sure you’re getting the fairest price possible.
Are you overpaying for car insurance?
Compare quotes and find out in 45 seconds.
Try Jerry

Easiest way to compare and buy car insurance

√
No long forms
√
No spam or unwanted phone calls
√
Quotes from top insurance companies
Find insurance savings