Call it an evolution, or call it a revolution. Either way, call it a tire industry in transition.
New mobility, sustainability, geopolitical challenges and supply chain upheaval are changing the game for tire makers. Here's a look at three trends gaining traction industrywide, and they're likely to drive innovation for 2023 and beyond.
Expectations are changing. Tires need to last longer, enhance range and perform at higher levels—and do all of that under more demanding conditions (the torque and weight of EVs, for instance).
And met. Again and again.
But tire makers aren't just rolling out products that meet performance expectations, they're doing it all more sustainably. Just about every major tire maker is eyeing a 100-percent sustainable material tire by no later than 2050.
That journey begins with natural rubber. Whether that means cultivating and commercially scaling an alternative rubber source—dandelions for Continental and Goodyear, guayule for Bridgestone—or building more transparent, sustainable hevea natural rubber supply chains, tire makers are all in on the efforts.
From there, it's finding renewable, bio-based materials to replace petrochemical-derived products. Whether that's soybean oil or rice husk ash silica, tire makers are on the road to carbon neutrality with more efficient operations, supply chains and, of course, materials.
Some, including Michelin and Continental, are looking at transforming plastic waste into tire materials, and both have seen success in doing so internally and through partnerships.
But circularity matters, too. So tire makers are working to ensure that the tires they produce today can be part of the solutions tomorrow. Through partnerships and innovations, tire makers and their suppliers are looking for ways to give end-of-life tires a new lease on mobility.
As new mobility continues to guide tire industry innovations, one solution—once dismissed as impractical from both form and finance perspectives—doesn't look so impractical anymore.
Yes, tires are going airless.
Because when it comes to autonomous vehicles, particularly those used in fleet applications, little to no tire maintenance is critical to keeping them on the road. And the best way to do that is to eliminate the variable of air altogether.
So far, all three of the world's largest tire makers are seeing success in the nonpneumatic tire development arena, even if they are approaching it from three very different perspectives.
Michelin, which conquered the nonpneumatic space first with the Tweel, looks to expand its expertise beyond the niche OTR segments—and is doing so by focusing on passenger vehicles. The tire maker, in partnership with General Motors, continues to make progress and looks to bring its Uptis tire to the market within three to five years.
Goodyear, meanwhile, is focusing on fleets—of all sizes and types. From small delivery robots to buses and people movers, Goodyear is looking to maximize uptime by tailoring nonpneumatic solutions to vehicles both big and small. So far, the tire maker has found success through partnerships with Starship (a maker of small delivery robots) and Olli (autonomous shuttles). With that experience, Goodyear is looking to bring some solutions to the market in the years ahead.
Bridgestone, meanwhile, is thinking even bigger. The Nashville-based tire maker has its sights set on developing airless tires for commercial trucking fleets and hopes to get them on roadways within three to five years. Admittedly, Bridgestone said, it's a tall task, but it's an R&D risk worth taking. Because if its team can develop a commercial truck tire, the potential market for such a product is promising.
And for the industry overall, that's just the start.
Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C. and Yokohama Tire Corp. each told Rubber News during the Global Tire Report livestream that they have been exploring and testing nonpneumatic concepts. And at CES earlier this year Hankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd. unveiled its own nonpneumatic concept tire.
It's all proof that the future of the tire industry could be airless.
Tires aren’t just tires anymore. They’re part of an infrastructure that is becoming increasingly more connected.
As the vehicle's only connection to the roadway, tires know quite a bit—about us as drivers and the roads we travel. The key is tapping those insights to develop better products, foster safety and ensure proper maintenance.
This is a space Continental knows well. The tire maker has been building on the success of its ContiSense to help create monitoring solutions for fleet management. But the Hanover, Germany-based company also has its sights set on autonomous vehicle advancement, and its connected tires are sure to play a critical role in that endeavor.
Bridgestone and Goodyear—through its Goodyear Ventures arm, are in on the game, too. They're not only continuing to develop connected tire and fleet monitoring technologies, they're investing in them. This year alone, Bridgestone announced a trio of investments in May Mobility, Yoshi and Tyrata.
And connectivity isn't just for passenger vehicles, either. Bridgestone touted its Intellitire real-time tire monitoring service for construction and quarry customers.
Michelin, likewise, sees great potential in the ability to tap the insights its tires can provide, especially when it comes to safety.
And that's where RoadBotics comes in. Michelin in July acquired the Pittsburgh-based technology, bringing into the fold technology that allows for mapping and rating of infrastructure using data primarily connected by smartphones. This, Michelin said, helps municipalities and governments better identify unsafe or deteriorating intersections or roadways.
Moreover, that data helps the tire maker move forward in its mission to create safer mobility landscapes.
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