Tag Archives: EVs

News

Do EVs Really Need Special Tires? The Rolling Resistance Dilemma

For most electric vehicle owners, efficiency is everything. Every watt saved translates to more miles between charges, and range anxiety still looms large even in 2025. It’s no surprise, then, that many EV drivers start wondering whether they need special “EV-specific” tires—rubber supposedly optimized to squeeze out a few extra miles by lowering rolling resistance.

But there’s a catch: less rolling resistance usually means less grip. And grip is what keeps you out of the ditch when the road turns wet, snowy, or muddy. So, is sacrificing traction in the name of efficiency really worth it?

Weight and Torque: The Tire-Killers

The problem starts with physics. Electric vehicles are heavy—really heavy. That’s because of their massive battery packs, which can easily add hundreds of pounds compared to a gas-powered equivalent. Add to that the instant torque that’s become an EV calling card, and you’ve got a recipe for serious tire stress.

According to Germany’s Automobilclub von Deutschland (AvD), conventional tires can wear out significantly faster on EVs simply because they weren’t built for that combination of weight and power. So, do electric cars need their own tires—or have modern tire engineers already caught up?

Chasing Range: The Rolling Resistance Equation

Rolling resistance measures how much effort it takes to keep a tire moving once it’s rolling. A standard tire typically comes in around seven to nine kilograms per ton of vehicle weight. Reduce that figure, and the car has to work less to stay in motion—translating directly into improved range.

Henning Klipp of the AvD puts it into perspective: “A reduction in rolling resistance of about five percent corresponds to roughly one percent lower fuel—or in this case, energy—consumption.”

That might not sound like much, but for an EV where every bit of efficiency counts, it can be the difference between making it home or hunting for a charging station. The tradeoff? As Klipp notes, cutting rolling resistance almost always means cutting grip.

The Good News: Modern Compounds Have Evolved

Here’s where tire technology steps in. The good news, Klipp says, is that tire development has made serious strides in recent years. Many major manufacturers have moved away from producing “EV-only” tires altogether. Instead, they’ve focused on advanced rubber compounds and optimized tread designs that balance grip with efficiency.

The result: most modern tires are already EV-compatible, without the need for a dedicated line. But, as always, not all brands hit the mark equally.

How to Choose: Reading the Label

If you’re shopping for new rubber, pay attention to the specs. Your vehicle documentation lists the correct tire size, load index, and speed rating. Then there’s the EU tire label, which breaks down three key metrics: fuel efficiency (or rolling resistance), wet grip, and noise level.

Higher ratings in each category usually mean a better tire—but also a pricier one. The smart move? Compare models and check independent tire tests before you buy.

Safety First, Efficiency Second

Ultimately, AvD experts say that grip should always take priority—especially in wet conditions. A few extra miles of range aren’t worth it if your car can’t stop when it needs to. And, in the bigger picture, staying accident-free is the most eco-friendly choice of all.

So, do EVs need special tires? Not necessarily. But they do need good ones—rubber that can handle the torque, weight, and performance demands of electric driving while keeping you safe in all conditions.

Because when it comes to tires, the smartest efficiency upgrade might just be the one that keeps you on the road.

Source: AvD

News

Polestar’s Bright Idea Is Flickering: Stock Trouble Shadows a Promising EV Brand

Polestar once sounded like a can’t-miss formula. Take Volvo’s Scandinavian sensibility, strip away the boxiness, add a dash of performance, and wrap it in minimalist design. For a while, it worked. The brand carved out a niche as the thinking driver’s EV—something between Tesla’s chaos and Porsche’s precision.

But lately, the glow around Polestar has dimmed. The company announced this week that it’s received a delisting warning from Nasdaq after its share price slipped below the $1.00 minimum bid requirement. The stock closed at $0.84, brushing uncomfortably close to its 52-week low of $0.82 and far from its $1.42 high.

The warning doesn’t mean Polestar is immediately out of the game. The automaker has until April 29 to get its share price above $1 for at least ten consecutive trading days. If that doesn’t happen, Nasdaq could grant another 180-day extension—but that’s more a stay of execution than a cure.

Momentum in the Metal, Not on the Market

The irony is that Polestar’s product lineup is stronger than ever. Third-quarter retail sales jumped 13 percent to 14,192 units, and year-to-date sales are up 36 percent to 44,482 vehicles. Those aren’t Tesla numbers, but for a brand that sells design-led performance EVs rather than volume boxes, it’s respectable growth.

At the Munich Motor Show, Polestar finally pulled the covers off the production Polestar 5—a sleek four-door GT aimed squarely at the Porsche Taycan. It’s a stunner, both in looks and numbers: a 112-kWh battery, dual motors, and up to 872 horsepower (650 kW). That’s supercar-level thrust, wrapped in Swedish understatement.

And earlier this month, the company showed off a heavily revised Polestar 3, now boasting an 800-volt electrical architecture, improved batteries, and stronger, more efficient motors. Faster charging, better range, and more punch—exactly what a luxury EV crossover needs to stay relevant.

A Brand at a Crossroads

Polestar’s lineup suggests it’s heading in the right direction; its stock chart says otherwise. Investors remain wary, perhaps spooked by the company’s slow ramp-up, high R&D costs, and dependence on Geely-Volvo infrastructure.

Still, it’s too early to write Polestar’s obituary. The brand has a clear identity and increasingly capable cars. But as the EV market shifts from hype to hard economics, Polestar will need to prove it can be more than a design darling—it has to be a business success too.

If the company can bring its financials up to the same level as its engineering, the stock might shine again. If not, this bright Scandinavian star risks flickering out before it ever truly blazes.

Source: Polestar

News

Cancelled Jaguar XJ EV Was Secretly Engineered for a Straight-Six Engine

Jaguar’s cancelled electric flagship, the ill-fated XJ that never saw the light of day, might not have been as purely electric as we once thought. According to its designer, Ian Callum, the luxury saloon was “packaged to take a six-cylinder engine, if need be.”

That’s right — the EV that was supposed to signal Jaguar’s all-electric rebirth was secretly engineered with an escape hatch back to combustion. Speaking on Autocar’s My Week in Cars podcast, Callum revealed the XJ’s flexible packaging could have accommodated one of Jaguar Land Rover’s straight-six engines — the same ones that power the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport today.

It’s a revelation that casts the cancelled project in a new light. When Jaguar pulled the plug in 2021, the global EV market was expected to surge. But as we now know, that wave never quite crested the way automakers hoped. Mercedes, for one, is already preparing to sunset its EQE and EQS sedans earlier than planned in favor of a next-generation S-Class that will offer both gasoline and electric powertrains.

Had Jaguar kept the XJ’s internal-combustion option in play, it might have given the brand the flexibility to pivot with market demand — a crucial capability as the industry now scrambles to rebalance its EV ambitions.

Callum didn’t confirm what would have lived under the hood, but the likely candidate was JLR’s Ingenium straight-six, mounted on the MLA platform that the XJ was designed to share with its SUV cousins. The sedan, interestingly, was set to abandon the traditional short- and long-wheelbase format entirely. “We didn’t want to get into this ramble about two wheelbases,” Callum explained. “So we created something in the middle in terms of size.”

Design-wise, the final XJ leaned more toward stately than sporty — a direction Callum says he “fought against.” Still, it would have been a striking return for a nameplate that has defined Jaguar luxury for half a century.

And it wasn’t the only future model on Callum’s sketchpad before his 2019 departure. Alongside the XJ, he penned designs for a next-gen F-Pace (which doubled as a new I-Pace) and even a fresh Jaguar sports car likely intended as the F-Type’s successor. None survived the brand’s sweeping 2021 Reimagine strategy, which effectively hit reset on Jaguar as a maker of low, long, and loud cars.

Now running his own design consultancy, Callum Design, with former JLR colleague David Fairbairn, the famed designer is free to speak a little more candidly. On the podcast, he mused about the strange design tropes of modern EVs: “I look at all these new electric cars and they look like they were designed 20 years ago. I don’t understand why they got long bonnets on them. Why would you build an electric car with a long bonnet on it? It’s not got a V12 in there.”

He’s not wrong. As the industry stumbles through its identity crisis — caught between the past’s grandeur and the future’s silence — the unreleased XJ stands as a fascinating “what if.” What if Jaguar had built a car that bridged both worlds? What if the XJ’s silent heart had been allowed to beat?

We’ll never know. But one thing’s clear: even in cancellation, Jaguar’s most ambitious saloon still has plenty to say.

Source: Autocar