There are few terms that are more fashionable than sustainable. We see that word every day in many areas of life and the automotive sector could not be left out. It is a tendency to make cars a lot more respectful with the environment, in addition to being mandatory due to the strict regulations in our continent. So much so that all the components are involved, it is only necessary to see examples such as Goodyear has presented sustainable tires which could become the norm in the coming years.
It is not a mere prototype far from reality, as it has passed the necessary tests to reach production. All this using a compound made one in one 90% for sustainable materials. The escalation by Goodyear in this area is being remarkable. A year ago they presented a tire with 70% sustainable material, an advance that precisely in 2023 it will hit the market. If everything continues at this pace, next year 2024 we could have a tire with a higher percentage, being almost entirely sustainable.
For this, greater collaboration with the company’s supply network will be necessary, since innovative materials that are more difficult to access are used. In any case, the brand believes that the first 100% sustainable tire will arrive by 2030 and demonstrates it with this prototype. It also has other advantages such as lower rolling resistance compared to a traditional tire. That can translate into better fuel economy and a reduction in the vehicle’s carbon footprint, so the benefits are clear.
The compound used by this tire includes 17 featured ingredients in 12 components different. For example, there are four different types of carbon that are made from methane, carbon dioxide, vegetable oil, and pyrolysis oil feedstocks from other used tires. There are soy oil to maintain the flexibility of surplus tire rubber in industrial applications. Also a high quality silica produced from rice husk residue (RHA silica) that is usually discarded.
If we continue with the list of materials of Goodyear’s sustainable tire, we cannot forget the polyester taken from already discarded bottles, bio-renewable pine resins or a steel cord with a high content of recycled material, which is produced by an electric arc furnace (EAF) process. We’ll have to wait to see something like this in production. but not too much. Currently, the firm has eight product lines and in some it already uses soybean oil or RHA silica.
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