Would you be surprised to learn a 120-year-old company is transforming its business with Artificial Intelligence and technology? Akron, Ohio-based Tire makerGoodyear might not be the first company you think of when discussing technological innovation, but they continue to announce intriguing developments and offer proof via new initiatives and products that they are altering operations to be competitive in the future.
Regardless if it's an autonomous, electric, or a traditional vehicle, they all need a solid foundation of the right Tire for the specific demands of the vehicle. Goodyear uses internet of things technology in itsEagle 360 Urban tire. The tire is 3D printed with super-elastic polymer and embedded with sensors. These sensors send road and tire data back to the Artificial Intelligence-enhanced control panel that can then change the tread design to respond to current road conditions on the fly and share info about conditions with the broader network. If the tire tread is damaged, the tire moves the material and begins self-repair.
Goodyear’s intelligent tires are in use on anew pilot program with Redspher, a European transportation and logistics company operating in 19 countries. The fleet benefits from the tire's ability to monitor and track tire pressure, vehicle data, and road conditions. This data is then analyzed by Goodyear’s algorithms to gain insights about maintenance needs and ways to improve the safety and performance of the fleet.
Another tire innovation from Goodyear is theOxygene model, another 3D-printed tire that has embedded sensors connected to the internet of things and also uses living moss and photosynthesis to power its electronics. The self-generated electricity powers onboard sensors, an AI-processing unit, as well as a light strip that illuminates when a driver brakes or changes lanes. The living moss feature may be unusual, but it shows the company's commitment to pushing and pursuing solutions to help the environment and to be relevant in the future. The tire is 3D printed from rubber powder from recycled tires.
Goodyear is also at the forefront of providingtires designed for the specific needs of electronic vehicles. Traditional tires can wear up to 30% faster on electric vehicles according to the company’s testing. Goodyear’s Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 tire was selected for Audi’s e-tron electric SUV.
In 2015, Goodyear was thefirst tire manufacturer to offer tires sales online to consumers. They followed that up in 2019 with GoodyearTruckTires.com, ane-commerce solution for commercial tire dealers.
In addition to transportation and logistics companies such as Redspher leveraging Goodyear's predictive analytics, car-sharing, and ride-hailing services stand to benefit from the company's tire maintenance program.
