Electric vehicle tires wear faster, worsen microplastic pollution: CEO

Electric vehicles are widely regarded as a cleaner alternative to combustion engines, but their tires present a significant environmental challenge, according to Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, founder and CEO of technology company ENSO.
In an interview with Euronews Earth, Erlendsson said tires are a major source of air pollution and microplastic contamination in oceans. He noted that nearly 2 billion tires are burned annually due to low recycling rates. ENSO was established to address these impacts while supporting the transition to electric vehicles.
Erlendsson explained that electric vehicles, though more efficient, place greater demands on tires. “Electric vehicles are fairly unique because they’re really heavy. They have really high torque. So they tend to wear out tyres faster than traditional cars ever did,” he said. He added that driving behavior, such as aggressive acceleration and frequent stopping in cities, exacerbates the issue.
The efficiency of electric vehicles—converting around 90 percent of energy into motion compared to roughly 30 percent for petrol cars—also makes them more sensitive to tire performance, Erlendsson said. He emphasized that better materials could help mitigate the pollution problem .
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