Electric vehicles (EVs) put a whole different set of demands on a set of tires. EV tires must be designed around the instantaneous torque and acceleration that EVs can deliver. They need to accommodate the extra weight of a battery pack and the altered center of gravity that goes with it. EVs don’t have any engine or exhaust noise, and EV tires must be designed to be quiet enough to be unobtrusive on the highway. Finally, EV tires need to offer reduced rolling resistance, helping to extend battery life and range on a full charge. That is all, of course, along with the expectations for traction, handling, steering response, ride quality, road manners, and so on that you’d expect with a set of conventional tires for an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. And yes, you can use a set of conventional ICE vehicle tires with an EV, but you might not be happy with the shorter tread life and compromised handling and braking that would go with it.

The iON evo AS SUV IH01A is Hankook’s first go-round in the world of purpose-built EV tires and is loaded with innovations and design features that make it a great fit for a wide range of EVs. Let’s go in and get a closer look at what the Hankook iON evo AS SUV IH01A has to offer:

Features and Benefits

Here are a few of the design elements and innovations that make the Hankook iON evo AS SV IH01A a great candidate for EVs:

• The environmentally sustainable silica-rich tread compound is designed for enhanced wet-weather traction and excellent wear properties
• Tread compound, tread design, and curing process all help to reduce rolling resistance and enhance battery life and range
• Tread contact patch optimized and redesigned for balanced downward pressure, even wear, confident braking, and handling
• The all-season tread features Hankook’s 3D GripKontrol sipes, multiplying the tread’s surface area and traction with hundreds of extra biting edges and helping to stabilize the tread’s shape and rigidity
• 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty coverage
• A system of circumferential and angled grooves resists hydroplaning by evacuating water from the tire’s contact patch
• Noise reduction technology includes sound absorbent materials, optimized multi-pitch tread sequence, and knurling inside tread groove walls, reducing cabin noise by as much as 9 dB
• M+S rated for mud/snow traction
• Solid center rib boosts straight-line stability, road manners

Pros and Cons

In the case of the Hankook iON evo AS SUV IH01A, this is a tire where the Pros outweigh the Cons:

PROS:

• M+S rated for mud/snow traction
• Exceptionally quiet ride
• Handling is stable and predictable
• Reinforced internal construction to handle the added weight of EVs
• Generous limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage

CONS:

• Expensive
• Not good in heavier snow

SimpleTire’s view on Hankook iON evo AS SUV IH01A tires

Are you familiar with SimpleTire’s SimpleScore rating system? SimpleScore is the system the SimpleTire team developed to give you a quick, at-a-glance idea of a tire’s strengths and weaknesses. We look at the tire’s specs, the manufacturer info, customer reviews, and other data points, then process that to a 1-10 numerical score for the categories of traction, handling, longevity, and an overall average SimpleScore. For the Hankook iON evo AS SUV IH01A, the SimpleScore numbers look like this:

Hankook iON evo AS SUV IH01A

• Traction: 8.4
• Handling: 9.0
• Longevity: 8.1
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8.5

First, let’s discuss the Hankook’s ride quality and noise levels. The ride is controlled and refined, if a little firm, and the entire suite of noise control technology (groove designs, tread pitch, sound-absorbent material, knurling, redesigned air cavity) means a ride that’s amazingly quiet and sedate - up to 29% lower dB readings compared to some of the competition. Its lower rolling resistance means up to a 6.3% increase in battery life and range, and on curvy roads and freeway onramps, the rigid design of the Hankook means that it sticks to the road like glue even when being pushed hard and crowding the edge of a vehicle’s performance envelope.

The 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty adds value, and the reinforced construction of the Hankook accommodates the extra weight of an EV (which can be as much as 30% heavier than a comparable ICE vehicle). On wet roads, the Hankook’s traction and resistance to hydroplaning are exemplary, with shorter braking distances and easy control and handling. Hankook’s Round Even technology helps the tire keep its shape and balance as it wears down and maintains an optimized contact patch to ensure even wear and great braking and handling performance. Straight-line stability is rock solid thanks to that continuous center rib and

Overall, the Hankook iON evo AS SUV IH01A is a tire designed from the ground up for performance on EVs. For the first time out of the gate on EV tire designs, Hankook didn’t miss a trick with the iON evo AS SUV IH01A and has developed a tire that’s a great value and great performer for various EVs.

Vehicles the Hankook iON evo AS SUV IH01A is a good replacement tire for

While the Hankook iON evo AS SUV IH01A isn’t featured as OEM on any vehicles, it would make a great replacement tire on EVs such as these:

• Audi e-Tron GT
• Audi Q4 e-Tron
• Audi Q8 e-Tron
• BMW i4
• BMW i5
• BMW i6
• BMS iX
• Cadillac Lyriq
• Chevrolet Blazer EV
• Faraday Future FF91
• Fiat 500e
• Fisker Ocean
• Ford Mustang Mach-E
• Genesis Electrified G80
• Genesis Electrified GV70
• Genesis GV60
• Hyundai Kona Electric
• Hyundai IONIQ 5
• Hyundai IONIQ 6
• Jaguar i-Pace
• Kia EV6
• Kia EV9
• Kia Niro EV
• Lexus RZ
• Lucid Air
• Mercedes-Benz EQB
• Mercedes-Benz EQE
• Mercedes-Benz EQS
• Mini Cooper Hardtop SE
• Nissan Ariya
• Nissan Leaf
• Polestar 2
• Porsche Macan Electric
• Porsche Taycan
• Subaru Solterra
• Tesla Model 3
• Tesla Model 5
• Tesla Model S
• Tesla Model Y
• Toyota bZ4X
• Volkswagen ID4
• Volvo XC40 Recharge