Especially for electric vehicles. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

One of the things that seemingly more European drivers—particularly those in Germany—do that isn’t as frequently performed by Americana drivers is to swap out their tires from summer tires to winter tires. Winter tires provide more grip than even the all-season tires that are more common in the U.S. And a lot more grip that that provided by summer tires.

Apparently there is a bit of an issue with winter tires and electric vehicles.

The compounds and the tread patterns found on winter tires that provide the grip are such that the rolling resistance is increased.

And when it comes to EVs in particular, that rolling resistance can decrease range.

So BMW Group and Pirelli have developed 20-inch P Zero Winter 2 tires, specifically for the BMW 7 Series, including the electric i7.

The companies say that compared to a conventional winter tire, the i7 can get 50 km (31 miles) of additional range.

According to Dr. Mihiar Ayoubi, senior vice president, Development Driving Pleasure, BMW Group (with a title like that, I’d quote him even if it was not even tangential to the subject), “These tires exemplify our commitment to pushing the boundaries of our cars in even dimension.”

The tires will be available in August, then fitment for the new BMW X3 later this year.

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