Pirelli’s range of tyres for electric cars and plug-in hybrids grows

Low rolling resistance to increase autonomy, decreased road noise for ultimate comfort, immediate grip that puts the power down for a quick getaway, and a special structure designed to support the weight of a battery-powered vehicle. These are the key characteristics of Pirelli Elect tyres, developed by Pirelli together with leading car manufacturers to meet the specific technical requirements of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

This type of tyre is distinguished by the Elect marking, which was launched at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and is available as original equipment for the most modern cars on the road.

Pirelli's engineers developed a specific P Zero Elect tyre for the Porsche Taycan, which is able to capitalise upon the car's prodigious performance. This tyre was developed in line with Pirelli's perfect fit philosophy, with a compound, construction and tread pattern design specifically created for the Taycan. This delivers low rolling resistance to maximise the car's autonomy, reduced road noise to increase cabin comfort, and immediate grip - even with the Taycan's impressive power and low-down torque - to enhance driveability: all in perfect safety. Thanks to Pirelli Elect, anyone choosing a Porsche Taycan can be sure of driving tyres as well as a car that have been specifically developed to be fully electric.

With winter setting in as well as laws mandating the use of winter tyres in many countries, Pirelli has created Elect versions of the Winter Sottozero 3, Scorpion Winter and P Zero Winter. The latter is available for the Porsche Taycan in 19-inch and 20-inch sizes.

Winter tyres are also recommended for electric and hybrid cars, if they are driven a lot in winter conditions, and their drivers require the best possible performance even in the harshest conditions. As autumn turns into winter and temperatures drop below seven degrees centigrade, summer tyres are no longer able to perform at their best and so discerning drivers prefer winter tyres.

Thanks to their softer compound, which still works well even when temperatures drop below zero and surfaces offer particularly low grip, winter tyres deliver excellent roadholding and traction - which is particularly challenging with electric cars - as well as secure braking, all to the advantage of safety. This is achieved with a tyre that has been specifically conceived to suit the unique performance characteristics of electric cars.

These bespoke winter tyres are distinguished by M+S symbols accompanied by the 3PMSF (three-peak mountain snowflake) logo, which can be easily recognised and guarantees the tyre's conformity with winter traffic laws in a number of different countries.