Hankook iON: EV-focused tyre range launches in Australia

Hankook Tyre's iON range, regarded as the world's first tyre developed specifically for electric vehicles, has launched in Australia.

The iON Evo AS and iON Evo AS SUV are the first tyres from the tyre maker, and will be available in Australia in 20 sizes for rim diameters between 19 and 22 inches.

Up to now, electric car makers have adopted many different features to deliver maximum efficiency through lowering resistance, from using cameras instead of drag-inducing rearview mirrors, wheel designs to minimise turbulence around the wheels, and significant weight-reducing efforts.

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No surprise, Hankook says its EV-specific iON range is designed to address another contributor to inefficiency: rolling resistance.

Hankook says the iON evo range [↗] contains the brand's “EVolution compound” – made from high-concentration silica – and is “designed to evenly spread road pressure and extend tyre life”, while also reducing resistance.

The company claims a resulting increase to an EV’s range, while the hard-wearing compound has proved 25 per cent more durable for carrying much heavier EVs (when compared with Hankook’s Ventus S2 AS X tyre).

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It’s not just efficiency that Hankook is seeking to address, however, with road noise and grip being other factors of concern.

While electric cars can be eerily quiet when in motion, road noise still makes up to 40 per cent of cabin noise, which can then increase by a further 30 per cent at highway speeds. With the iON Evo AS range, Hankook has incorporated a knurling inside the tyre grooves to assist with reducing noise.

Batteries increase an EV’s mass substantially – an additional 10-20 per cent more weight over an internal combustion engine (ICE) – which ultimately affects a vehicle’s cornering. Hankook claims its EV Contour technology remedies this through an increase in lateral rigidity by 25 per cent, and cornering rigidity by as much as 20 per cent when compared with all-season tyres.

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“With advanced technology and innovative materials, iON tyres provide superior performance and sustainable driving experience by offering lower noise, higher load support, response to a higher torque, and lower rolling resistance," said Junghee Cho, Managing Director of Hankook Australia.

"iON tyres are developed combining Formula E technology and Hankook Evolution technology so you can be rest assured of their performance."

The iON Evo racing tyre made its debut in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in January 2023, with all teams being supplied with Hankook tyres for the season.

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