Hankook, the South Korean manufacturer of car and truck tyres, presents its iON models, a series of tyres specially adapted to the needs of electric cars. These were initially available as summer tyres, but are now also available as winter tyres. All-season tyres were also developed especially for the North American market. As TÜV Süd confirms, Hankook seems to have had a good hand in sounding out the compromises that a special e-car tyre must necessarily make.
Features of the Hankook iON tyres
In addition to aerodynamic optimisations, especially of the tread, but also of the sidewalls, the use of silicates, bio-polymers and vegetable oils in particular ensure the required balanced performance over the entire tyre life. Which, according to the manufacturer, is noticeably longer as a result of these measures. The main load, traditionally acting mainly on the tyre shoulders, is here placed on a broader basis and the Hankook sound absorber TM system takes into account the more critical noise perception. Finally, the tyre is also somewhat lighter than competitor products due to the bundle of measures, Hankook speaks of approx. one kilogram per tyre.
Environmental balance
In Formula E, only tyres of one type will be used from season 23 onwards, the tyre bingo known from Formula 1 will no longer exist here. The Hankook iON Race tyres will be collected by Hankook after the races and recycled for the next races. A step away from the “throwaway mentality” in racing. What is of greater importance in this context, however, is the direct transfer of knowledge gained under extreme racing conditions to practical everyday road use.
Hankook emphasises the integration of all developments into an overarching sustainability goal. The company has committed to the Paris climate goals and supports the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. According to its own statements, Hankook has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 11 percent across the company in the last four years and continues to be committed at a steadily increasing rate. The use of natural materials in tyres and the associated increase in the proportion of recycled materials is just one element of this.
Text: Werner Köstle
Images: Hankook
