EV tyres in Geneva show

Tyres specially designed for electric cars and plug-in hybrids feature on two electric supercars debuting at the Geneva Motor Show, the Italdesign DaVinci and the Pininfarina Battista.

Pirelli P Zero tyres marked ‘Elect’ launched at the March 7-17 show offer advantages for eco-friendly cars.

These include low rolling resistance to maximise range, noise reduction and immediate grip to meet intense demands from the transmission.

Electric motors deliver the maximum torque available right from the bottom of the rev range, and so need tyres that are able to bite into the asphalt instantly, Pirelli says.

Each Pirelli Elect tyre is personalised to the vehicle it is destined for, following the company’s “perfect fit” strategy.

The first cars to wear these tyres are the two zero-emission supercars making their debuts at the Geneva show.

The DaVinci concept was built to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the inventor and painter’s death.

About 150 of the Pininfarina Battista will be made with delivery starting in 2020, the car having 450km range and 2300Nm of torque from its Rimac 120kWh battery.

Also at the show, Pirelli is launching its P Zero Winter tyre – described as having the performance of a summer tyre, a “track adrenaline” tyre with sensors connected to an app, and a “colour edition” with coloured sidewalls for manufacturers providing tailor-made tyres to suit the specific technical characteristics of their vehicles.

The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, will be among the first cars to be fitted with the coloured tyres.

The demand comes directly from premium and prestige carmakers, who know that they need to offer their customers as many opportunities for personalisation as possible, Pirelli says.

The line-up of coloured tyres is displayed at Pirelli’s stand in Geneva, from P Zero car tyres to Diablo Supercorsa SP tyres for motorbikes and its Velo range.

Meanwhile, P Zero World tyre boutiques – Pirelli’s flagship store which enables visitor immersion in the Italian company’s culture – opened in Dubai in January, with Melbourne following in the second half of the year.

Following in the footsteps of Los Angeles, Munich, and Monaco, the Dubai and Melbourne openings add two new continents to the Pirelli store’s global presence.

P Zero World is also the name of the stand that welcomes visitors to the Geneva Motor Show.