That it's time to rethink, we have not only since Al Gore's spectacular speech 2006, Today, there are already many companies that take the topic of "environment" to heart and continuously work on optimizing their production processes or products in order to contribute to the conservation of resources. That also the car industry carries a responsibility, showed up recently at the Geneva Motor Show. The international tire manufacturer Goodyear presented its latest mobility vision for the cities of tomorrow: the new concept tire "Oxygene", which will help make urban mobility cleaner, more comfortable, safer and more sustainable in the future. The special feature: In the sidewall of the tire grows real moss.
But why should that be good? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 80 percent of people living in cities with measured air pollution are exposed to air quality that exceeds the limits set by the WHO. With its concept tire, the American group wants to reduce material waste, emissions and energy losses. The Americans take advantage of the open structure of the tire. Its intelligent tread design allows the Oxygene to absorb and circulate water from the road surface. This sets the process of photosynthesis in motion that releases oxygen.
"By 2050, more than two-thirds of the world's population is expected to live in urban centers. The need for mobility solutions for the cities of tomorrow will rise enormously, "says Jürgen Titz, CEO of DA-CH at Goodyear. "In order to master the greatest challenges in the field of urban mobility and development, solutions for an intelligent and green infrastructure, including public transport, will play a key role." The concept tire is always such a solution. As an example, a city like Paris with 2,5 millions Cars led. If all of them were running on the "Oxygene", nearly 3000 tons of oxygen would be produced this year and more than 4000 tons of carbon dioxide would be absorbed. An honorable vision.
In addition, old tires are recycled for the concept tire. Its lightweight structure has a shock-absorbing effect, is puncture-proof and particularly durable. It also stores the energy released by the photosynthesis process to power its embedded electronics, which not only alert road users and pedestrians to the next driving maneuvers, but also enable high-performance mobile connectivity at the speed of light. The so-called "LiFi" networks the tire with the Internet for vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V) and from vehicle to infrastructure (V2I).
"Like the concept tires we presented in Geneva over the past few years, Oxygene seeks to challenge our thinking in familiar ways and give new impetus to the discussion around smart, safe and sustainable mobility," says Titz. "As our current concept tire helps improve air quality, it could help improve the quality of life and health of city dwellers." A vision that we would like to bring to reality soon.