Pirelli debuted its Ice Zero 2 Studded Tires on ice at the World Skiing Championships in Are, Sweden.

The tire debuted in an exclusive preview on the roads at the championships, where Pirelli is the main sponsor. In addition to providing ice-driving experiences with Ice Zero FR and Ice Zero 2 rubber, Pirelli equips the Audi e-tron cars that are used by the event organizers.

Pirelli will officially launch the Ice Zero 2 tires on the icy roads of its proving ground at Flurheden in Lapland, Sweden.

The company provided two different types of tire at the World Skiing Championships—the versatile Ice Zero FR, for typical Nordic driving conditions, and the new Ice Zero 2 tires, for more extreme situations.

The new tire has been designed for top of the range cars, including electric cars. Electric cars that provide all their torque from low revs need the maximum amount of traction, especially in typical low grip conditions, such as zero grip on ice, in winter. Additionally, Pirelli also understands the importance of quietness in electric cars like the Audi e-tron. Therefore, the studded Ice Zero 2 tires have been engineered to limit the road noise that is typical to this tire type. The new e-tron is the first full-electric model from Audi that puts out a peak electrical output of 300 kW, 664 Nm of torque in boost and a range of more than 400 kilometers in the WLTP cycle. It is therefore an SUV with sports car performance, accelerating from 0 to 100kph in fewer than six seconds.

Pirelli’s association with competitions dates back to 1907, when it equipped the victorious Itala in the Peking to Paris road race. The company is sponsoring the World Skiing Championships for the second time; the first time was the 2017 edition. It will also be the main sponsor of the 2021 event. Additionally, the company will also support the World Ice Hockey Championships and has been the sponsor of the Italian Winter Sports Federation since 2015.