There is hardly any doubt in the minds of enlightened car owners, gearheads, automobile market observers, aftermarket spares experts and anyone else who doesn’t live under a moist rock that we are at a crossroads.
Either we can continue, as a species, to continue using regular vehicles and watch as never-before-seen global warming and those terrible pollution levels in most countries finally wipe us out, thereby ending the reign of mankind.
Or we face these challenges and start eliminating them by letting go of ICE technologies completely.
A lot of things will change if hybrid cars or fully electric vehicles become mainstream. That includes the nature of off-road wheels.
Of course, some of the world’s leading manufacturers of such rims have started planning for the future. For example, Black Rhino Wheels has been experimenting with aluminum alloys which are even more refined and with greater tensile strength & durability than the 6061-T6 aluminum used worldwide.
The likes of Fuel Wheels aren’t too far behind. The company is aware of the changes that are taking place at unimaginable speeds. It already has some of the lightest forged rims for off-road use in the market, and sources suggest Fuel (in association with its parent entity, MHT Alloy Wheels) are slowly peaking in their R&D for the future.
The next section deals with how off-road wheels and their manufacturers must change to stay relevant – or risk being rendered obsolete.
The upcoming EV revolution
The latest reports suggest that of all the new orders for premium vehicles in China, around 30% are EVs. Take a moment to absorb that – it is almost a third of the total orders placed!
Next comes the United States where EVs are already holding steady to that foothold which they have gained over the last few years. Do note that even if a vehicle is not 100% electric, and possibly plugin hybrids, they naturally come under the EV umbrella.
With the rapid growth in the sales of Tesla’s 5 existing models (even though Tesla is desperately trying to fulfil orders due to an acute shortage in chipsets) and premium electric off-roaders like the Cybertruck and the Bollinger B1, the demand for off-road wheels is slowly creeping up in this super sub-niche too.
The problem lies in the infrastructure. Even if we ignore the biggest markets for EVs including the US and several countries in Europe, we still have India and the other Southern-Asian giants. Pundits are betting on these latter countries to drive the EV revolution a step or two forward.
Black Rhino Wheels does not have a significant presence in these regions, although we had a sneak peek at what they had on offer at the last AAPEX. This is an annual invitation-only event where aftermarket giants from all over the world come together to talk shop, forge partnerships and so on.
The AAPEX is held in Las Vegas, as is the SEMA show. From what our sources told us, Black Rhino is bucking up and spreading its tentacles all over the world.
Fuel Wheels is shoulder to shoulder with some of the best brands in this niche. They had some major launches at the AAPEX as well, but not too much information is in the public domain.
Meanwhile, India might breach the 9 million EVs sold per annum mark by 2027, according to reliable business reports & a study by Deloitte. That’s a huge number!
The Indian Government is also granting subsidies to citizens who buy an electric vehicle, making the offer a tad more lucrative. This model is already in existence in Brazil and South Africa.
What does the future hold for off-road wheels?
First, the good news. Off-road wheels will stay on and will largely look the same with similar ingredients and aesthetics. The not-so-good news is that they might get more expensive.
Here are some changes you can expect.
- Expect slightly bigger rims: Aftermarket rims will soon start gaining in diameter as EVs do not work like ICE vehicles. For example, you cannot expect a regular passenger vehicle with an internal combustion engine to start from zero RPM. The engines are very different.
Compare this with EVs meant for off-road use. These will respond even if the RPM is 0; that is because their power supply is via a clever bit of software that mimics automatic transmission!
This will require bigger wheels from most of the advanced manufacturers since the height of the off-road EV is set to rise across the world.
- Off-road wheels might become just a bit more expensive: As if they were not expensive enough, engineers are predicting that the future off-road aftermarket rims will likely cost you extra. The reasons are twofold. One, companies will now have to forge even lighter rims considering that they are being used in EVs and any extra weight is a strict no-no.
Second, to construct these new-age rims, all-new materials might have to be introduced. Of course, the majority of them will be aluminum alloys. But there will be a huge leap in their construction and quality.
Incidentally, Black Rhino Wheels is already working on a new range of top-secret rims which are supposedly aimed squarely at the EV market!
- Tires will be the game-changer: Let’s not forget that tires too will undergo a significant change. We can safely bid goodbye to heavy off-road tires and usher in a new generation of tires which will have all the ingredients ideal for off-roading. But they will be lighter than ever before with distinct tread patterns!
The bottom line
It will be interesting to see how off-road wheels and tires adapt with the changing times. And of course, the drive will be conducted by the major manufacturers!