New energy truck tires: future star or industry waste?

Whether in the car or truck market, new energy is an advanced topic and represents the future. In the field of passenger cars, new energy tires have entered the market and have been accepted by consumers. In the field of truck tires, new energy tires are still in the exploratory stage, and there is a lot of controversy about new energy truck tires.

In May 2024, the Ministry of Transport and other 13 departments issued a notice on the issuance of the "Action Plan for Large-Scale Equipment Renewal in Transportation", which clearly accelerated the elimination and renewal of old operating diesel trucks and orderly promoted new energy operating trucks.

On January 5, 2025, the "Notice of the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance on Increasing Efforts to Expand the Implementation of Large-Scale Equipment Renewal and Consumer Goods Replacement Policies in 2025" (Fagai Huanzi [2025] No. 13) accelerated the scrapping of high-energy-consuming and high-emission old trucks, and provided financial subsidies for the scrapping and renewal of old operating trucks.

A series of policies are heralding the coming of the spring of new energy trucks, especially new energy heavy trucks. With the advancement of battery technology, new energy trucks are rapidly promoted. At present, the design of electric truck tires is still focused on the research and development of their endurance. Dynamics such as range, torque and weight are the primary topics in the design and manufacture of electric trucks.

Relevant people said that it is the current trend to support the replacement tires of electric trucks by maximizing the driving distance, of course, to ensure mileage life and traction.

It is a recognized fact that electric vehicles accelerate quickly, so the torque will reach its maximum during acceleration. Therefore, the tires of electric vehicles will be under greater pressure during acceleration, which will affect their durability and wear value. This also means that the tread pattern design and tread compound formulation must ensure that the tires are subject to relatively low wear.

Since batteries are heavier than diesel engines, electric commercial vehicle tires must be able to carry heavier loads, so weight support is another key performance attribute of electric truck tires. Electric truck batteries are heavier than diesel engines, so electric commercial vehicle tires must be able to carry heavier loads, which also means that electric truck tires usually need to be more precisely designed for their applications. In order to maximize the range of electric trucks, new electric commercial vehicle tires are currently changing in terms of aspect ratio and tire size.

High technical requirements for new energy tires

Electric trucks have higher rolling resistance requirements for tires than standard tires. The demand for longer endurance and more energy saving is more stringent for rolling resistance. Reducing tire rolling resistance is also a topic that many tire companies are studying.

The world is trying to electrify commercial vehicles

According to a forecast by a US agency, commercial electric vehicles (or so-called CEVs) will account for nearly 40% of the number of Class 4 to 8 trucks in the United States and Canada in the next 15 years. By 2040, the number of CEVs operating in North America is expected to be close to 320,000, accounting for about 43% of the total number of commercial vehicles.

China also attaches great importance to new energy commercial vehicles. Against the backdrop of an unoptimistic sales trend in the truck market, the new energy heavy truck market has become a new outlet. The good start of new energy heavy trucks is mainly related to policy-driven. As we all know, in the context of energy conservation and emission reduction, heavy trucks are the hardest hit area, and the implementation of the country's "dual carbon" strategy.

Therefore, if China's dual carbon strategy continues to deepen in the truck field, new energy trucks will appear more and more on the market. At the same time, new energy truck tires will also usher in their own peak. Perhaps new energy truck tires will be the next hot spot in the tire market.