News U Can Use @ dopereporters.com/
Major tyre manufacturers are busy testing fully airless wheels that could soon be in mass production, bringing an end to the issue of flat tyres and punctures for millions of drivers.
US company Goodyear is in Luxembourg using a tyre constructed from plastic spokes and reinforced rubber tread in place of traditional air-filled wheels with tread.
With the proliferation of car sharing apps, a spike in food delivery and Uber, the need to keep vehicles on the road is more important than ever.
Mr Rachita said: “While air-filled tyres will always have their place, a mixture of solutions is needed.
Goodyear tests the new tyres for thousands of miles in different conditions and for 24 hours at a time.
While some of the spokes bend and break, the overall structure of the tyre remains.
Rivals Michelin has also been working on airless tyres for the past three years.
There have been reports that the company’s ‘Unique Puncture-proof Tire System’ (Uptis) could be seen on a new Chevrolet Bolt electric car as early as 2024.
Uptis tyres are made of high-strength resin embedded with fibreglass and rubber to create a mesh structure wrapped around an aluminium wheel.
The company plans to create a tyre that is airless, connected, 3D-printed and made entirely of materials that can be melted down and re-used.
It would also be zero-maintenance and would be well suited to the demands of EVs with heavy batteries.
Airless tyres are likely to be a fair amount more expensive than air-filled examples, initially at least.
