The engine of electric cars is very different in sound from traditional combustion engines. In addition the forces acting between tyre and road during acceleration are substantial higher for electric cars. This demands a different tyre optimisation where at low driving speed it would be appreciable to have a somewhat noisier tyre to increase the awareness for pedestrians. At the same time the design should not increase noise at medium and high speed where tyre/road noise is very strong and dominant. 
The project is carried out in cooperation with the Universities in Karlsruhe (KIT), Germany and the tyre manufacturer Continental, Germany and runs from 2011 to the end of 2013.