With Goodyear’s revolutionary plan to produce biodegradable tires, those time-consuming flat tires and trips to the mechanic for tire rotations and replacements could become a thing of the past.
The idea behind Goodyear’s biodegradable tires is that they would regenerate their treads as needed, taking away the need to check and refill a tire’s air pressure.
While this might seem like a concept from a science fiction story, in this article we will break down exactly how Goodyear’s reCharge tires are intended to work.
What are biodegradable tires?
Biodegradable tires are made from any material that can be broken down by living things, such as bacteria. Because Goodyear is planning to make a liquid from natural materials such as dandelion rubber and fibers to include on the tires, they would be biodegradable.
Dandelion rubber and fibers are closely related to spider silk, and they are one of the most durable natural materials. With a liquid made from these materials, Goodyear plans to design tires that would push out the liquid as needed through pipes onto the wheel’s surface, hardening into new tread.
How does the technology work?
Even more impressively, the tires would know when to put out the liquid and be based on each individual driver using artificial intelligence and data to adapt to the driver’s habits and typical conditions.
This means that the tires would know if a driver usually drives in hot, dry summer weather or in bitterly cold winter weather and would change its surface accordingly to ensure a safe trip for the driver.
Are there any downsides?
Although there will be no more visits to a mechanic for rotations and tire replacements, the liquid for the treads would still have to be changed occasionally.
A greener future
However, it is safe to say that these biodegradable tires would be much more sustainable and reusable than the current tires that are used throughout the world, making them a green and eco-friendly product that appeals to people who are conscious of protecting our environment.
