The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. recently introduced a new tire dubbed the “Intelligrip Urban” concept for autonomous vehicles (AVs): a tire that can gather and directly input data on weather and road conditions into AVs computer system.
The global tire maker officially unveiled this concept tire at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year.
Jean-Claude Kihn, president of Goodyear’s Europe, Middle East and Africa division, explained in a statement that the IntelliGrip Urban is a “smart tire” and that by gathering critical road and weather data and then sending it directly to an AV’s computer system, it enables a self-driving vehicle to optimize speed, braking, handling and stability.
The IntelliGrip Urban’s sensor technology would also allow operators to precisely identify and resolve tire-related issues before they happen, he added.
Furthermore, Kihn said fleet operators should benefit from the tire’s “tall and narrow shape,” which reduces rolling resistance to increase energy efficiency and range – especially for those operating electric vehicles in an urban environment.
He noted, to, that this concept tire’s shape also contributes to improved aquaplaning performance, which allowed Goodyear’s designers to decrease the amount of grooves required, thereby increasing mileage and reducing noise levels.
The specially-designed tread also improves tire “grip” in both winter and summer conditions in urban environments, Kihn pointed out – maximizing uptime and optimizing the efficiency for fleets.
