GREENVILLE, S.C.—The best tire technologies are proven again and again.
And in the case of the technologies, designs and performance characteristics of the Michelin Pilot Sport EV tire, the plan went something like this: Prove it on the racetrack, then take it to the road and prove it all over again.
Done and done, thanks in part to a recent award from Popular Science magazine.
This year, the magazine named Michelin's Pilot Sport EV tire one of 10 "Best of What's New" products in the automotive category. The Greenville-based company is the only tire maker to make the list, with nearly all of the honorees being auto makers.
"The 'Best of What's New' Awards are our way of celebrating the most exciting and groundbreaking innovations of the year," Rob Verger, technology editor for Popular Science, said in a statement. "These awards highlight the revolutionary inventions that are helping to improve our daily lives, our society and our planet."
So how, exactly, did the Pilot Sport EV tire make the list?
According to Katelyn Berry, Michelin North America Inc.'s vice president of marketing for business to consumer products, Michelin just did what it always does. When it came to the tire's development, Michelin focused on people, planet and performance.
"Michelin is ranked the No. 1 tire brand across major categories and segments by industry experts and consumers alike, and developing tires with manufacturers for electric vehicles proves our dedication to a sustainable future," Berry said in a statement. "Our consumer tire portfolio is primed for the EV revolution, and we're proud to see our efforts being recognized by Popular Science."
Michelin's Pilot Sport EV is designed to handle the challenges EVs throw at tires, including increased torque, low rolling resistance and acoustic technology.
After seven seasons of development with Formula E, the technologies that drive Pilot Sport EV for consumer sports cars are ready to handle the challenges that EVs have to throw at them. And they do so, Michelin said, without compromising on performance, safety or sustainability.
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It starts with ElectricGrip Compound technology, which features a hard compound for the center of the tread, giving the tires the grip they need with the ultra-high-torque experienced with EVs. From there, the Pilot Sport EV incorporates low rolling resistance to extend range by as many as 37 miles.
The Pilot Sport EV also taps Michelin's Acoustic technology—custom-developed polyurethane foam that reduces road noise by as much as 20 percent for a quieter cabin.
This isn't the first time that Michelin has earned a spot on one of Popular Science's list. It previously earned two "100 Most Innovative Products of the Year" awards.
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