Alpine worked together with Michelin to develop tailored tyres for its A110, and the two firms are partnering again on fitments for the future electric models of the ‘Alpine Dream Garage’, beginning with the A290. Alpine says that after two years of research, testing and development with Michelin, it will offer three specific 19-inch tyres for its upcoming A290. The two summer tyres and one winter model will feature an exclusive marking that Alpine created for its planned electric range.
Describing Michelin’s work with Alpine, the vehicle brand’s chief executive officer, Philippe Krief, said that “particular attention has been paid to the tyre’s rolling resistance, without compromising grip and driving, to give this first electric Alpine the best possible range, while maintaining the brand’s distinctive dynamic characteristics.”
The three Michelin tyres are:
- Michelin Pilot Sport EV: a sporty summer tyre with optimised energy efficiency, combining grip, longevity and autonomy.
- Michelin Pilot Sport S5: the sportiest summer tyre designed to extract the full potential of the A290 on both wet and dry surfaces.
- Michelin Pilot Alpin 5: a winter tyre offering a high level of grip to cope with a spectrum of winter conditions, particularly in cold and inclement weather and on wet or snow-covered surfaces.
Increased surface contact
Tyre developers need to take a new weight distribution combined with high and instantaneous torque into account when working on tyres for electric vehicles. At 3.99 metres long, the Alpine A290 has a short wheelbase that promotes agility and a wider track for increased stability, notably under braking. The wider tracks also make it possible to increase the cross-section of the tyres’ tread by more than 15 per cent, to a width of 225 mm, thereby increasing the surface contact with the ground.
