Goodyear airless tire to be used on autonomous shuttles

MANILA: Goodyear recently developed a non-pneumatic tire (NPT) and wheel assembly to support autonomous vehicle transportation in a city setting for in-field use with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA).

Together with Local Motors, Goodyear has been testing an Olli shuttle supported by the NPT at its testing facilities and other areas to achieve the performance targets in the matter of load, speed, and durability.

In a statement, Local Motors Chief Executive Officer Vikrant Aggarwal said, “Autonomous vehicles, like Olli, need to decrease maintenance costs and perform reliably. Goodyear’s non-pneumatic tires are positioned to give maintenance teams less to worry about while giving passengers a quiet, consistent ride. Non-pneumatic tires may just be the industry standard in the coming years.”

Goodyear pivoted its NPT concentration to on-road testing in 2019. The urban transportation environment became the ideal testing scenario for the alternative tire architecture as it requires lower speed and less erratic travel paths.

“As mobility evolves, we feel that tires can transform the way we move and alternative airless architectures are ideal, particularly in the emerging autonomous transportation environment. This is an important milestone as we look to advance mobility today and as we look to introduce the first completely sustainable and maintenance-free tires by the end of the decade,” Goodyear Senior Program Manager for Non-Pneumatic Tires Michael Rachita stated.

The gathered data from the JTA will provide viewpoints on ride comfort, noise, and other factors.

“The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is proud to integrate this innovative and sustainable technology into our Autonomous Vehicle Test & Learn program as we develop the future of mobility through the Ultimate Urban Circulator,” JTA Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel Ford Sr. said. “This collaboration is another example of how Jacksonville is leading the public transportation industry in developing AV mobility solutions.”

Photos from Goodyear

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