Electric vehicles have become popular in recent years, but few people know how fast their tires wear out. According to research by J.D. Power, electric vehicle owners often have no clear understanding of tire life and think it is about the same as that of gasoline vehicles. But the actual situation is that due to their heavy weight and strong power, electric vehicles wear out their tires faster. Many car owners expressed surprise and even said they were not informed of this situation when they purchased the car.
This exposed potential problems in the car sales process. Research from J.D. Power shows that electric vehicle owners generally believe that electric vehicle tires wear out at about the same rate as gas-powered vehicles, reflecting a phenomenon where education lags behind adoption, a problem that exists among both car sellers and consumers. On the one hand, car companies overemphasize the advantages of electric vehicles and often ignore potential shortcomings; on the other hand, sales staff may lack understanding of the maintenance differences between electric vehicles and fuel vehicles, or be unwilling to inform consumers of relevant information.
Ashley Edgar, senior director of research at J.D. Power, believes that this is an urgent problem that requires joint efforts by automakers and tire manufacturers. He suggested that car companies and tire manufacturers work together to educate consumers about the particularities of electric vehicle tires, and develop new products for the different needs of electric vehicles to achieve a better balance between cruising range, tire wear and quiet performance.
It is noticed that some tire manufacturers have launched special tire products for electric vehicles. This is not only for marketing considerations, but more importantly, electric vehicle tires need to meet different needs. They need to be in strength, weight and wear resistance. Striking a balance between battery life and noise control.
CDK Global, a car dealer software company, released a research report on electric vehicle maintenance at the end of 2023. In the report, one respondent said, “For electric vehicles, changing tires is equivalent to changing the oil of combustion vehicles.”
In addition, tires suitable for electric vehicles are often more expensive than tires for combustion vehicles.
Electric vehicles are clearly an important part of the future of transportation, but the industry still has a long way to go in educating consumers about the advantages and disadvantages of electric vehicles and developing more cost-effective products. The problem is that relevant companies lack sufficient motivation. How can salespeople be willing to mention additional maintenance costs when selling electric vehicles is inherently challenging?
