Goodyear unveils Eagle-360, a visionary tire concept for future autonomous vehicles
Unique spherical shaped concept tire highlights ultimate maneuverability, safety and connectivity
After 117 years of making tires, Goodyear today presented a vision of a future tire that looks radically different from tires —it’s a sphere.
Goodyear unveiled its latest concept tire, Eagle-360, at the Geneva International Motor Show. The spherical, 3-D printed tire highlights Goodyear’s vision for the future and presents an inspiring solution for the long-term future when autonomous driving is expected to be more mainstream.
According to a recent study from Navigant Research, 85 million autonomous-capable vehicles are expected to be sold annually around the world by 2035 [9], for example. According to the J.D. Power 2015 U.S. Tech Choice Study, consumers are most concerned with ensuring safety through technology in autonomous cars. [10]
“By steadily reducing the driver interaction and intervention in self-driving vehicles, tires will play an even more important role as the primary link to the road,” said Joseph Zekoski, Goodyear’s senior vice president and chief technical officer. “Goodyear’s concept tires play a dual role in the future both as creative platforms to push the boundaries of conventional thinking and as testbeds for next-generation technologies.”
[9] Source: Navigant Research, Advanced Drive Assistance Systems and the Evolution of Self Driving Functionality: Global Market Analysis and Forecasts: http://www.navigantresearch.com/research/autonomous-vehicles
[10] Source: The 2015 U.S. Tech Choice Study was fielded in January through March 2015 and is based on an online survey of more than 5,300 consumers who purchased/leased a new vehicle in the past five years. - See more at: http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2015-us-tech-choice-study