Apollo Tyres has today launched the Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV, Europe’s first all-season tyre developed specifically for electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
Compared with the established award-winning range of Vredestein all-season tyres, the Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV delivers superior handling and stability while offering significantly lower levels of rolling resistance. It also delivers a quieter and more comfortable ride. Plus, this tyre has a lighter construction and has a lower environmental impact during production.
The all-new premium product is available through tyre retailers and distributors from December. It will initially be available in seven sizes for 18- and 19-inch wheel rims, with 12 additional sizes, including 17- and 20-inch options, on offer from next year.
Low Rolling Resistance
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.
Rolling resistance is 15 per cent lower than that of the best-performing non-EV Vredestein all-season tyre. This is thanks to a carefully optimised blend of fourth-generation polymers and ‘smart’ silica for the tread compound, rim cushion and carcass.
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.
Handling and Stability
An extensive global R&D programme has confirmed the new tyre’s superior cornering stability. The company says it offers a six per cent improvement in handling performance compared to its all-season siblings
This makes it ideal for managing the elevated torque and higher vehicle weight typical of modern EVs. The Quatrac Pro EV’s handling characteristics are enhanced by a new asymmetric tread design, stiffer tread blocks and robust construction.
Several structural features have been introduced specifically to manage the greater mass of electric vehicles and the consequential increased loads they create during cornering and acceleration.
For example, the outside shoulder of the new tyre is wider than the inner to resist lateral deformation. Plus, the outer flanks of the main longitudinal grooves are much steeper to resist distortion as cornering forces rise.
Such is its ability to manage higher vehicle mass, the Quatrac Pro EV has become the first all-season tyre ever produced to be certified with the HL mark. This signifies ‘High Load’ readiness (255/40 R 20 variant). This confirms the tyre is able to carry 10 per cent more weight than a reinforced ‘Extra Load’ (XL) tyre at the same pressure.
Certified All-Season Capability
The new EV tyre carries the ‘Three Peak Mountain Snowflake’ symbol on its sidewall. This verifies 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.
The high silica content in the tread, coupled with stiffer blocks and inter-connected ‘bridges’ on the shoulders, combine to deliver high levels of wet and dry braking. The latter measured at four per cent better than the equivalent non-EV all-season Vredestein tyre.
Low Noise
Alongside real-world testing across a variety of road surfaces, the Apollo Tyres team used computer simulation and artificial intelligence-based acoustic modelling. This helped 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 five per cent better riding comfort due to its lighter construction and a ‘flex zone’ in the sidewall. This ensures a high degree of inherent compliance across poor-quality road surfaces.
Minimal Environmental Impact
In designing the Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV, the Apollo Tyres R&D division considered both the energy required and the carbon that would be emitted throughout production.
Benchmarked against its regular all-season tyres, the new Quatrac Pro EV has a 17 per cent lower environmental impact (measured as the Global Warming Potential of CO2). This contributes to a lower lifecycle carbon impact.
The Quatrac Pro EV is being produced at Apollo Tyres’ two European production facilities, in Enschede in the Netherlands and Gyöngyöshalász in Hungary.
Daniele Lorenzetti, Apollo Tyres CTO, said: “The Quatrac Pro EV is a strategically important product for us, for three key reasons. Firstly, motorists are making the shift towards electrified mobility in ever greater numbers and carmakers and consumers alike are seeking tyres engineered for the specific characteristics and dynamic attributes of EVs.
“Additionally, the all-season tyre segment is the fastest growing, so it makes sense that we continue to diversify the range of Vredestein products that are designed for year-round use.
“Finally, no other company has the all-season heritage to match that of Vredestein – it was a segment we pioneered and it is natural that we take a lead once again by producing Europe’s first all-season EV tyre.”
