The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. used CES 2024 to unveil a new higher-performing EV (electric vehicle) tire and collaborations with partners intended to advance tire technologies.

The primary announcement was the latest tire in its ElectricDrive family. The all-season EV tire called ElectricDrive 2 is updated with more sustainable materials, improved rolling resistance, and long-lasting tread life. The company says that the new tire is the latest step in its sustainability maturity and contains at least 50% sustainable materials per tire by weight and includes the use of soybean oil, rice husk ash silica, and sustainably sourced natural rubber.

According to recent consumer research conducted by Goodyear, a quiet ride and wet road performance are the top two features that EV owners look for when considering a tire. So, the ElectricDrive 2 features SoundComfort Technology foam inserts, a built-in sound barrier that helps reduce interior vehicle noise and an asymmetric tread pattern that improves handling in wet or dry road conditions.

“With the continued adoption of EVs, we want to meet consumer and market needs with an updated EV replacement tire,” said David Reese, Vice President of Product Development at Goodyear Americas. “We know EV drivers prioritize performance and a more sustainable tire. The ElectricDrive 2 was designed with at least 50% sustainable materials, a focus on providing greater traction, and maintaining a quiet ride.”

The all-season tire is anticipated to be available beginning in May 2024 and comes in 17 sizes for sedans and CUVs.

 

Tire sensing collaboration with TDK

With the new TDK collaboration, Goodyear emphasized a focus on the development of integrated intelligent hardware and software into tires and ecosystems. The two companies plan to bring a tire-sensing system to market, combining TDK’s software, sensor, and electronic component expertise with Goodyear’s capabilities in tire development, intelligent solutions, and industry trends.

“As the automotive industry continues to technologically advance, so too does the need for real-time intelligence from the road to the tire to the car,” said Jim Tran, General Manager, of Americas HQ and Deputy General Manager, of Technology and Intellectual Property Center, TDK Corp. “This alliance will have the joint benefit of accelerating both technology and customer access to the highest performance sensor technology in the market.”

The companies said they are conducting market research and technical exploration for a joint solution that delivers actionable insights for improving vehicle performance, safety, and efficiency.

“Working with influential organizations like TDK is essential to further innovate in the intelligence space,” said Chris Helsel, Senior Vice President, Global Operations and Chief Technology Officer, at Goodyear. “TDK’s expertise in the sensor and electronics space will be instrumental in maximizing the utility of what a tire can provide.”

He added that collaborations like the one with TDK can play a critical role in achieving a mobility future where vehicles are smarter, safer, and more sustainable.

 

Intelligent tire data for Gatik

At CES, Goodyear announced a new technology collaboration with Gatik AI, Inc., an autonomous middle-mile B2B logistics company, expanding on what is said to be the industry’s first successful integration of tire intelligence technology into an AV (autonomous vehicle) driving system.

Gatik, whose autonomous fleet consists of Class 3-7 box trucks, said that equipping its fleet’s Goodyear Endurance RSA tires with Goodyear SightLine tire intelligence solution enabled it to advance the safety and overall accuracy of its efficient fleet operations while also improving delivery uptime and reliability. The AV company plans to implement the intelligent tire solution into a significant portion of its autonomous fleet across the U.S. and Canada this year.

“Being the vehicle’s only contact point to the road, the tire can play a pivotal role in enabling the vehicle to react like a driver would,” said Helsel. “Gatik is revolutionizing the autonomous technology space, and by providing real-time insights through intelligent tire data, we can support Gatik’s autonomous driving system to become even more safe, reliable, and efficient.”

Through extensive on-road testing in a variety of challenging real-world driving scenarios, tire intelligence data about road conditions and tire health have helped Gatik advance its AV controllers with insights about cornering and braking, rolling resistance, and tire load. The data, which are communicated between the SightLine technology and autonomous driving system through a real-time feedback loop, have enabled Gatik to yield numerous performance enhancements including the ability to adapt swiftly and safely to a variety of road conditions, even when the mass or payload of a truck varies by delivery.

“The real-time data derived from intelligent tire technology not only enhances the safety and predictability of our autonomous vehicles, but also enables us to maintain high levels of efficiency, reliability, and delivery uptime throughout our operations,” said Gautam Narang, Gatik CEO and Co-founder. “Our partnership with Goodyear is another step in advancing Gatik’s leadership in autonomous technology, underscoring our commitment to ensuring that the true advantages of B2B middle-mile logistics are brought to market.”

The two companies are conducting ongoing testing at Goodyear’s San Angelo, TX, proving grounds. There, Gatik said it can ensure its AVs are tested extensively in a safe, closed course environment for both common and unusual road scenarios involving traffic lights, road signs, evasive maneuvers, tight turns, collision avoidance, precise lane keeping, and minimum risk stopping distances.

The partners also plan to incorporate Goodyear’s advanced predictive road condition monitoring solution into Gatik’s autonomous driving system. This integration will enable Gatik to strategically plan its operations, ensuring a consistent and reliable movement of goods for Gatik’s diverse customer base of the nation’s largest grocers, retailers, distributors, and e-commerce platforms.

 

Real-time tire data for automotive antilock braking systems

SightLine also plays a prominent role in the company’s announcement at CES with TNO, a Dutch research organization, that looks to enhance vehicle safety by integrating tire intelligence technology into the anti-lock brake system (ABS) controller of a test vehicle.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were more than 1.7 million rear-end crashes in 2021, accounting for nearly a third of all crashes in the U.S. Goodyear and TNO said the integration of tire data can improve stopping distance performance, which has the potential to help drivers avoid accidents and reduce the severity of collisions, leading to enhanced road safety.

“TNO is dedicated to enhancing the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of vehicles,” said Machteld de Kroon, Managing Director, Unit Mobility & Built Environment, TNO. “Our collaboration with Goodyear aims to minimize every centimeter of braking distance. We firmly believe that by improving the integration of tires and braking systems, we can contribute to reducing accidents and ultimately saving lives.”

Through collaborative research and testing on a physical test vehicle, the partners said that they effectively showcased that an improved ABS, equipped with information about the tire type and characteristics such as wear state, can potentially enhance overall system efficiency and reduce braking distance by as much as 5.75 ft.

“Our collaborative work with TNO has yielded invaluable insights, with exciting possibilities to deliver greater value to our customers and support the future of mobility,” said Werner Happenhofer, Vice President of Tire Intelligence and eMobility solutions at Goodyear. “At Goodyear, we believe that by harnessing the power of tire intelligence, we can contribute to the bold goal of future mobility to reduce accidents.”

Goodyear and TNO began collaborating in 2021 through joint research and testing initiatives to evaluate and quantify the performance of the ABS controller on a physical car through the integration of intelligent tire information. Today, Goodyear’s SightLine suite of tire intelligence technologies provides a line-of-sight to the conditions of the tire, vehicle, and road through advanced algorithms and real-time monitoring.