Hankook Pushes iON EV Matrix to Thermal Limits at Sanya E-Prix

Serving as a high-stress developmental crucible for its commercial electric vehicle (EV) product lines, Hankook Tire deployed its specialized iON Race compound under severe atmospheric constraints during Round 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The temporary street layout at the Sanya E-Prix forced active grid teams to manage complex thermal loads.

The 2.52-kilometre Haitang Bay Circuit, conquered by Andretti Formula E driver Jake Dennis, subjected the spec racing rubber to ambient air temperatures exceeding 33°C alongside intense tropical humidity layers. Because the temporary track surface offered minimal mechanical abrasion to assist with tire core warm-up, vehicle traction profiles relied heavily on the chemical engineering of the tire tread to anchor heavy braking cycles and low-speed corner exits.

These high-tier motorsport trials feed directly into the engineering of road-going replacements, such as the iON evo AS family. “Extreme heat and high humidity placed significant demands on predictability,” stated Manfred Sandbichler, Senior Director of Hankook Motorsport Europe. 

The telemetry gathered regarding thermal tread stability under high-torque electric loads is standardly cross-applied by Hankook to reduce compound squirm and irregular wear patterns on heavy consumer battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) during peak summer operation.