US tyre company Goodyear has revealed a tyre it says consists of 90 per cent sustainable materials.
It revealed its latest sustainable tyre technology at this year’s Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. At last year’s show, it showcased a tyre made from 70 per cent sustainable materials.
According to Goodyear, this latest demonstration tyre passed all internal testing and applicable regulatory testing, which means it’s technically legal to go on the road.
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The company noted this demonstration tyre had a lower rolling resistance when compared to the reference tyre which was made with traditional materials.
This means that, in addition to a potential carbon footprint reduction through the greater use of sustainable materials, it has the potential to improve vehicle fuel economy.
The demonstration tyre includes four different types of carbon black produced from both organic and inorganic sources, soybean oil and rice husk silica, post-consumer polyester and bio-renewable pine tar resins.
Goodyear said eight of its current product lines, including some racing tyres, have soybean oil, and since 2018 it has doubled its use of RHA silica in its tyres.
In addition, Goodyear has announced it intends to sell a tyre with up to 70 per cent sustainable-material content this year. It’s unclear if it will be offered in Australia.
The company is still working with its supply partners to secure enough materials to mass-produce a 90 per cent sustainable-material tyre, and plans to have a fully-sustainable tyre on sale by 2030.
“We continue to make progress toward our goal of introducing the first 100 per cent sustainable-material tyre in the industry by 2030,” said Goodyear senior vice president, global operation and chief technology officer Chris Helsel.
“The past year was a pivotal one toward achieving this goal. We researched new technologies, identified opportunities for further collaboration and utilised our team’s tenacity to not only demonstrate our capabilities to produce a 90% sustainable-material tyre, but to also produce a tyre with up to 70% sustainable-material content this year.”
“Our team continues to showcase its innovation and commitment to building a better future,” Mr Helsel added.
