Most EVs, PHEVs and hybrid cars no longer have spare tires. Spare tires are said to:
- Add weight, reducing efficiency
- May be a hazard to the battery pack in the event of an accident
- Tires are said to be better today (but there are an estimated 94 million flat tires in the U.S. each year) so you don’t need a spare tire
- Some tires have puncture self repair features or the car comes with a temporary puncture repair kit
- No one knows how to change a tire anymore so they call for a tow truck
Are Electric Vehicles Killing the Spare Tire? – Slashdot
Long ago, while driving my wife’s parent’s car, we experienced a blow out, and had to put on the spare tire.
In the early 1990s, we experienced a tire failure that required installing the spare.
In the 2000s, my wife was driving home from work, late at night (she worked in health care) and had to come down a steep road near our home, on which there was ice and snow. While going very slow, the car slid sideways, slowly, into a curb but just that popped a front tire. I drove up and put on the spare tire in the middle of the night.
Two years ago, a tire on an 18 wheel semi exploded, in front of us. We hit some of the tire debris. This ended up knocking off the debris shield, and cracking an emissions control canister. Obviously, truck tires still fail.
If you drive on the off road areas of Death Valley, you are advised to carry TWO spare tires with you. Seriously. The rocks are sharp enough to rip tires.
Today, everyone just calls a tow truck, apparently. I live in area where it is common to be out of cell phone coverage – thus, I’d still like to have a spare tire with me. Tires do still fail.
