Pirelli is predicting a move toward tall, skinny automobile wheel and tire combinations in the coming years, particularly for smaller cars, that look like a modern take on those used at the dawn ...

Electric vehicles tend to wear out tires more quickly compared to similar gasoline cars, and it can be worse on performance-oriented models that are fitted with softer tires for better grip.

But the BMW i3 is also at the leading edge of another efficiency trend: tall, narrow tires that reduce the vehicle's wind resistance compared to the usual short, wide tires fitted to cars today.