Hankook introduced tires for electric pickups

Hankook Tire has added a new model to the iON lineup — the all-season highway tire Hankook iON HT, specifically designed for electric pickups and engineered to combine low rolling resistance, improved ride comfort, and increased durability. 

According to Rob Williams, President of Hankook Tire America, "electric vehicles, particularly in the rapidly growing pickup and SUV segments, pose new challenges and require unique demands on their tires," and "iON HT was built from the ground up to work optimally on electric vehicles and embody the innovations that were brought to market with the iON family".

Hankook iON HT have an XL rating, and the load-carrying capacity has been increased to optimally suit heavy cargo transport, taking into account the additional weight of electric pickup batteries.

The new Hankook tires feature Roll Lite Compound and Opti Cure Technology, which means that both the rubber compound and the special vulcanization technology reduce rolling resistance, increasing the range of electric vehicles. Additionally, thanks to ProDurable Compound Opti Tread Technology (which optimizes the stiffness of individual tread blocks), improved durability and even pressure distribution in the contact zone are ensured, resulting in one of the best warranty mileage — 129,000 km — among tires for electric vehicles.

The tread grooves feature 3D-Embossed Sipe three-dimensional lamellas, which, in combination with expanding grooves in the shoulder areas, improve traction on wet roads, accelerating water dispersal, while the aggressive design of the lugs and the reinforced iON Clad construction provide additional protection against impacts, without, as the manufacturer emphasizes, negatively affecting ride quality.

The premiere of the iON HT took place at the Electrify Expo in Los Angeles, and sales are scheduled to start in August 2025. Initially, the tires will be available with a rim diameter of 18-22 inches, a UTQG rating of 900/A/A, and speed indices T and H.