Hankook Tire to supply tires to BYD's electric truck

BYD's 1-ton truck T4K, the Chinese brand's first electric truck for Korea. [HANKOOK TIRE AND TECHNOLOGY]

Hankook Tire and Technology will supply its EV-dedicated tires to BYD's 1-ton truck T4K, the Chinese brand's first electric truck for Korea.

The Korean tire maker said Thursday it is supplying the T4K with Hankook RA08 tires, which have strong traction to support the truck's lower structure and ensure safe driving in various conditions.

Landing in Korea in April, the T4K has the longest mileage of an EV truck in the country. It can run 246 kilometers (153 miles) per single charge, beating rivals Hyundai Motor's Porter and Kia's Bongo.

“By strengthening strategic partnership with BYD, Hankook Tire aims to target the Chinese market, the world's largest EV market,” the company said in Thursday's statement.

BYD is the world's largest EV maker, selling a total of 1.86 million EVs last year.

Hankook Tire currently supplies tires to Leap Motor's C11 electric SUV and Nio's ES6 and EC6 SUVs, both Chinese brands, and Toyota's bZ4X.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]