IN 1845, SOMEWHERE between inventing a system for detonating explosives by electricity and the refillable fountain pen, Robert Thomson, a Scottish engineer and entrepreneur, patented the first pneumatic tire—a then wondrous, now everyday item that has been gradually evolving ever since.

 

Now, in the era of electric vehicles, they are more in focus then ever before. On the one hand, while passenger safety remains a priority, the right tires can have a significant effect on efficiency—and thereby the range of your EV—but on the other they're also a source of noise and pollution.