Hankook expands tire supply for robotaxis in China

Hankook has announced that, as part of its expanded collaboration with Baidu, it will equip Apollo Go robotaxis with tires in ten Chinese cities instead of the previous four: Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Suzhou, Wuhan, Dongguan, Nanchang, and Sanya. 

The robotaxis are supplied with all-season Hankook iON ST AS tires, which belong to the world’s first specialized tire line developed specifically for electric vehicles. The strategic partnership agreement with Baidu was signed in March 2025. According to the tire manufacturer, significant real-world data on tire performance in various road conditions has been collected since then.

The supplied tyres are made from the ProDurable rubber compound with enhanced wear resistance, and low rolling resistance increases the driving range of electric vehicles. In addition, the tyres are optimized for frequent starts and braking in urban conditions, while reduced noise and vibration enhance comfort levels, Hankook notes. Another advantage of the iON ST AS, they add, is their ability to adapt to various road and climatic conditions. For this reason, the manufacturer claims, the tyres are ideally suited not only for Beijing and Shanghai, with their heavy traffic and customers frequently covering long distances, but also for Chongqing with its numerous bridges, inclines, and tunnels, as well as for Dongguan and Suzhou, where heavy precipitation may occur. 

"Hankook Tire is continuously expanding the applications of iON technology, supplying tyres for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and autonomous vehicles," the company says. "In the future, we will continue to leverage our capabilities to enhance the performance of tyres in this series and strengthen our technological competitiveness in the fields of autonomous and intelligent mobility."

Photo: tirechina.net