Katelyn Berry, an executive at the Michelin tire company, spoke recently about the future of electric vehicles in the United States. She indicated that electric vehicles are very much the wave of the near future.
As Katelyn Berry pointed out, California in particular has changed its automotive regulations so that they are more favorable to electric vehicles, and other states will likely follow suit. This means that cars running entirely on fossil fuels will be gradually phased out of production. General Motors, in particular, has made a commitment to transitioning into a company that is putting out greener vehicles.
Interestingly, Katelyn Berry noted that many of the new models of electric vehicles are either pickup trucks or sport-utility vehicles. She believes that this trend will continue. Learn more
Tires
Regardless of the make and model of a given electric vehicle five years from now, it will likely be running on Michelin tires. Katelyn Berry pointed out that Michelin produced the first tired designed for electric vehicles in 1992, and they are pioneering the new makes of tires.
She notes that electric vehicles need tires that are designed differently than those meant for traditional cars. To start with, electric vehicles are heavier than traditional ones, and tires need to withstand this new weight.
Furthermore, electric vehicles run silently, so people inside of them are going to be able to hear more of the sounds of the rubber meeting the road. This means that designers will be trying to create a quieter tire.