> They rely on the friction between the tire and the road

I don't think the tire is what people mean when they talk about the brakes. They mean the brake pads and other brake components.

It's literally what the linked article talks about, tyre wear not break wear.

This thread started when someone said ‘both brakes and tyres emit pollution’. The point was the brakes don’t when they’re regenerative. I’m sure the tyres still do. But that wasn’t what the thread was about.