larger wheels/tires are heavier.
heavier wheels/tires means more unsprung weight.
More weight means more power required to get them going.
more power means less range.
seems pretty obvious that they should be going with smaller, lighter, narrowing wheels and tires.
i was assuming it goes along with all the other ‘prime’ features that are so popular with EV’s - trying to look cool and appeal to enthusiasts
More unsprung weight, yes. That will have an effect on both ride and handling.
It has little net effect on range, as additional force required to accelerate them is also additional force available in regeneration. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion, etc.
more power means less range.
Not everyone is concerned with range. My new Model X has enormous 22-inch wheels and I’m fine with the range. My daily driving is about 50 miles or less. Electricity is very cheap for me. Road-trips are easy given the charging infrastructure available to me.
I’d rather have the appearance and handling benefits of bigger wheels versus the range and efficiency increase of smaller wheels.
Weight is not AS big a deal in EVs as it is in ICE cars.
The reason is that you require more energy to get up to speed, but you get a good chunk of that back in an EV (while it’s completely lost in an ICE car).
The extra kinetic energy doesn’t get wasted as much in an EV.