Presenting a tire exclusively made for electric vehicles, the Hankook iON evo AS line. For those that don’t know, Hankook supplies Tesla with a 19” factory tire for the Model Y’s made in China as well as a 19” Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 235/40/19 tire for the Tesla Model 3. Hankook also supplies other renowned manufacturers such as Mercedes, Audi and BMW on various model vehicles. In other words, Hankook has deep experience working with electric vehicles and premium vehicle manufacturers.
The iON evo AS line was developed to address the growing market of electric vehicles and has all the bells and whistles characteristics of what makes a great EV specific tire.
- Compound. Hankook has engineered a tire compound with high-concentration silica and eco-friendly materials that simply lasts longer. With EV’s being inherently heavy, tires tend to wear out quickly (especially softer performance tires). Tires equipped on electric vehicles wear out approximately 20% faster with uneven wear than on ICE vehicles. Designed to spread the ground pressure evenly, the iON evo AS provides longer usage and less replacement. Hankook claims the iON evo AS will last an average of 25% longer than a competing all season tire.
- Noise Reduction. With a combination of tread pattern and noise canceling foam, Hankook was able to decrease noise an average of 29% over other all season tires.
- Range Increase/Retention. With their iON evo AS compound, Hankook was able to decrease rolling resistance, which in turn increased range by an average of 6% over competing all season tires. Battery weight makes electric vehicles up to 30% heavier than ICE vehicles, which frequently causes uneven wear on non-EV specific tires. The iON evo AS is made of a compound specifically made for electric vehicles to evenly spread road pressure to account for this difference and extend tire life.
- Stability. with high-concentration silica and eco-friendly materials. With Hankook’s The iON evo AS compound, engineers were able to improve cornering stiffness by an average of 20% over other all season tires.
At the time of this article, the iON evo AS is available in the following sizes for the following Tesla models.
Model 3
- 18”: 235/45/18
- 19”: 235/40/19
- 20”: 235/35/20
Model Y
- 19”: 255/45/19
- 20”: 255/40/20
- 21”: 255/35/21 Front, 275/35/21 Rear
Model S 2012-2020
- 19”: 245/45/19
- 21”: 245/35/21 Front, 265/35/21 Rear
Model X
- 20”: 265/45/20 Front, 275/45/20 Rear
- 22”: Front: 265/35/22 Front, 285/35/22 Rear
