March 4, 2014 – The ideas behind two concepts displayed by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company at the Geneva Motor Show could change the way tires and cars interact in the future.
Goodyear’s market researchers constantly challenge the company’s engineers and scientists to innovate tire solutions that not only respond to consumer needs but also help manage future societal mobility challenges.
One of these visionary tire technologies unveiled by Goodyear could eliminate the range anxiety motorists have with electric cars. The company’s futuristic BHO3 concept can create electrical energy to recharge the car’s batteries. The tire generates electricity through the action of thermoelectric and piezoelectric materials, which transforms the energy created by heat in the tire and by flexing as the tire rolls. The materials used would optimize the tire’s electricity generation capabilities as well as its rolling resistance. As demand for electric cars grows, this technology has the potential to significantly contribute to the solution of future mobility challenges.
The company’s Triple Tube concept tire can adjust its inflation pressure to changing road conditions to offer the driver new levels of performance and versatility. This technology could be used by autonomous cars in the future by allowing the tire to prepare the shape it needs before it enters a curve.
This tire relies on an internal pump that moves air from the main air chamber to the three individual air chambers. The tire automatically adjusts to three different positions based on road conditions. The Eco/Safety position offers reduced rolling resistance. The Sporty position gives drivers dry handling through an optimized contact patch. The Wet Traction position provides high aquaplaning resistance through a raised tread in the center of the tire.
“Societal and environmental trends will impact the way we drive in the future. Therefore, it is more important than ever for us to stay firmly rooted in our market-back innovation process, which calls on us to focus on, and anticipate, the rapidly evolving needs of our customers,” said Joe Zekoski, senior vice president and chief technical officer.
“Our products will become more integrated with the vehicle and the consumer, more environmentally friendly and more versatile by applying the innovative thinking we are demonstrating with the concepts showcased at this year’s Geneva Motor Show,” he said.
Although neither of these visionary concept tires will hit the market in the near future, concepts such as these are an essential part of Goodyear’s innovation strategy, instilling a forward-looking, market-back mindset in the company’s research and development teams. These two concept tires were developed by engineers and scientists at Goodyear’s Luxembourg Innovation Center and are designed to be part of the company’s innovation thought process.
Besides these forward-looking concept tires, Goodyear is also introducing at the Geneva Motor Show a tire solution that can contribute to societal mobility challenges today: the award-winning EfficientGrip Performance summer tire featuring both an A in Rolling Resistance and an A in Wet Grip on the EU Tire Label. The new EfficientGrip Performance tires in eight new sizes with an AA rating offers consumers the option to positively influence their vehicle’s environmental and safety performance by reducing the car’s its fuel consumption and its stopping distance on wet roads compared to lower-rated tires.