Skip to main content

Tyres ‘could charge EV batteries’

Unveiled at the recent Geneva Motor Show, two concept tyres by Goodyear could radically change the role of car tyres in the future according to the company. The first concept, named BHO3, offers the possibility of charging the batteries of electric cars by transforming the heat generated by the rolling tyre into electrical energy. The second concept, Triple Tub, contains three tubes that adjust tyre inflation pressure in response to changing road conditions, delivering new levels of performance and versatil
March 11, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Unveiled at the recent Geneva Motor Show, two concept tyres by 843 Goodyear could radically change the role of car tyres in the future according to the company.

The first concept, named BHO3, offers the possibility of charging the batteries of electric cars by transforming the heat generated by the rolling tyre into electrical energy. The second concept, Triple Tub, contains three tubes that adjust tyre inflation pressure in response to changing road conditions, delivering new levels of performance and versatility.

The BHO3 tyre generates electricity through the action of materials in the tyre that capture and transform the energy created by heat when it flexes as it rolls during normal driving conditions. The materials used would optimise the tire’s electricity generation capabilities as well as its rolling resistance.

As demand for electric cars grows, Goodyear says this technology has the potential to significantly contribute to the solution of future mobility challenges and could eliminate the vehicle-range anxiety motorists may have with electric cars.

Triple Tube features three internal tubes located beneath the tread and near the inboard and outboard shoulders of the tyre as well as the centre. The tyre relies on an internal pump that moves air from the main air chamber to the three individual air chambers, or tubes. The tyre automatically adjusts, on its own, to three different positions based on road conditions.

“These concept tyres re-imagine the role that tires may play in the future,” said Joe Zekoski, Goodyear’s senior vice president and chief technical officer. “We envision a future in which our products become more integrated with the vehicle and the consumer, more environmentally friendly and more versatile.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Bright shiny green future: Asecap Sustainability Forum
    August 30, 2023
    Knowing your company’s carbon footprint is one thing, but the real issue is understanding and reporting to investors Scope 3 emissions. David Arminas reports from the 2nd Asecap Sustainability Forum in Vienna, Austria
  • Global moves drive EV infrastructure
    October 7, 2020
    Charge+ in Singapore, Total in the UK and Electrify America all have new plans
  • Amazon and Lime join EV alliance 
    January 30, 2020
    Major mobility players like Amazon, Siemens and Lime are teaming up in a bid to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).
  • Predicting the future for video camera systems
    March 12, 2012
    Jo Versavel, Managing Director of Traficon, talks about near-term trends in video camera systems. Jo Versavel starts by making one thing clear: long-term forecasts as to what the future holds for video-based traffic monitoring are to all intents and purposes meaningless. The state of the art is developing so fast that in reality it's impossible to say where we'll be in 10 years' time, says the Managing Director of Traficon. In his opinion making firm predictions even five years out is too ambitious, whereas