Kumho Tire Wins Germany iF Design Award 2024

Kumho Tire won the main prize at the German 'iF Design Award 2024'.

The German iF Design Award is one of the world's top three global design awards, alongside the German Red Dot Award and the American IDEA, and is highly prestigious. It is hosted by the International Forum Design (iF International Forum Design GmbH) and has been held since 1954.

This year, a panel of 132 judges composed of experts from various countries participated in the evaluation, and about 11,000 entries from 72 countries competed fiercely.

The awarded product, ECSTA PS71 EV, is a tire designed for the growing electric vehicle (EV) market.

According to the overseas market research firm FMI, last year the global market size for electric vehicle-specific tires was estimated at $9.441 billion, and the EV tire market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 26.6% over the next 10 years, expanding to 10 times the size of 2023 by 2033.

The key advantages of the ECSTA PS71 EV include improved energy consumption efficiency, which extends the driving range per charge of electric vehicles. The PS71 EV maximizes rolling resistance performance compared to regular tires, enhancing fuel efficiency and securing performance optimized for electric vehicles. Real vehicle performance evaluations showed a 115% superior driving range compared to previous products.

It also enables quiet driving when mounted on electric vehicles. Considering the relatively low engine noise characteristic of EVs, new technology was applied to suppress noise generated by the tire during operation (applying a new pattern design concept and attaching sound-absorbing foam inside the tire).

The tire guarantees road grip and improves wear resistance even under the instant acceleration and high output of electric vehicles. EVs are heavier than internal combustion engine vehicles and can put a lot of strain on tires due to their excellent acceleration. To overcome these technical limitations, the tire was designed with a high-strength structure compared to regular products, and the reinforced structure also improved driving force and handling performance. Moreover, despite the reinforced structure, it minimizes rolling resistance desired by electric vehicles, making it excellent for improving energy efficiency.

Jomansik, Head of Research and Development at Kumho Tire, stated, “We predict and detect changes in market and customer needs and release products accordingly,” adding, “Kumho Tire will work together with customers in the process of researching and developing innovative core future technologies in the rapidly changing mobility market to turn imagination into reality.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.