Goodyear Unveils Oxygene Concept Tyre to Support Cleaner, More Convenient Urban Mobility

Goodyear’s latest concept tyre, introduced at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show, literally brings the future of mobility to life as a visionary solution for cleaner, more convenient, safer and more sustainable urban mobility. 

The concept, named Oxygene, has a unique structure that features living moss growing within the sidewall. This open structure and the tyre’s smart tread design absorb and circulate moisture and water from the road surface, allowing photosynthesis to occur and therefore releasing oxygen into the air.  

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 80 per cent of people who live in air pollution-measured urban areas are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO limits.

 “With more than two-thirds of the world population expected to live in cities by 2050, the demands on transport networks in urban environments would increase substantially,” said Chris Delaney, President of Goodyear Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Smarter, greener infrastructure and transport would be crucial in addressing the most pressing challenges of urban mobility and development.”

Inspired by the principles of the circular economy, with emphasis on reducing material waste, emissions and energy loss, Goodyear’s Oxygene concept is designed to integrate seamlessly into future cityscapes, featuring several performance solutions:

• Cleaning the Air We Breathe: Oxygene absorbs moisture from the road through its unique tread and inhales CO₂ from the air to feed the moss in its sidewall and release oxygen via photosynthesis. In a city similar in size to greater Paris with about 2.5 million vehicles, this would mean generating nearly 3,000 tonnes of oxygen and absorbing more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
• Recycling Worn Tyres: Oxygene features a non-pneumatic construction that is 3D-printed with rubber powder from recycled tyres. The lightweight, shock-absorbing structure provides a long-lasting, puncture-free solution intended to extend the life of the tyre and minimise service issues, delivering worry-free mobility. Additional safety is ensured by the tyre’s open structure, which improves wet grip by helping absorb water from the tread.
• Generating its Own Electricity: Oxygene harvests the energy generated during photosynthesis to power its embedded electronics, including on-board sensors, an artificial intelligence processing unit, and a customisable light strip in the tyre’s sidewall that switches colours, warning road users and pedestrians of upcoming manoeuvres, such as lane changes or braking.
• Communicating at the Speed of Light: Oxygene uses a visible light communication system, or LiFi, for high-capacity mobile connectivity at the speed of light. LiFi enables the tyre to connect to the Internet of Things, allowing vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) data exchange, which is critical to smart mobility management systems. 

“Like the concept designs Goodyear has presented at Geneva in the past, Oxygene is meant to challenge our thinking and help drive the debate around smart, safe and sustainable future mobility,” Delaney said. “By contributing in this way to cleaner air generation, the tyre could help enhance quality of life and health for city-dwellers.”

固特异发布 Oxygene 概念轮胎

鼎力支持更便利更环保的城市出行

固特异最新概念轮胎亮相2018年日内瓦国际车展，为大众提供了更方便、更安全、更环保且更具可持续性的城市交通的前瞻性解决方案。将未来出行的理念真正引入现实生活。

这款被称为Oxygene的概念轮胎拥有独特的构造，最大亮点是生长在轮胎壁内的活苔藓。别具匠心的胎面设计结合这一开放结构，使得轮胎能够从路面吸收并循环水分，从而令苔藓产生光合作用，将氧气释放到空气中。

根据世界卫生组织(WHO)的统计，在具备空气污染监测的城市区域内，有超过80%的人群生活在空气质量水平低于世界卫生组织规定限值的污染环境中。

固特异欧洲、中东及非洲地区总裁德莱尼（Chris Delaney）表示：“至2050年之前，预计将有超过三分之二的人群生活在城市中，人们对于城市交通网络的需求将持续增长。在应对城市出行和发展带来的最紧迫的挑战时，更加智能化、绿色化的基础设施和交通运输建设将成为关键。”

受循环经济原理的启发，固特异打造的Oxygene概念轮胎将更加关注于降低原材料的浪费、减少有害气体排放及避免能源损失等问题，无缝融入未来城市生活的场景，并提供以下一些性能解决方案：  

• 净化空气：Oxygene概念轮胎通过特殊设计的胎面从道路上吸收水分，并吸入空气中的二氧化碳，供给至轮胎壁中的苔藓处，最终经过植物的光合作用释放出氧气。这意味着，在规模与巴黎相当且拥有大约250万辆汽车的城市，每年会产生将近3,000吨氧气，并吸收超过4,000吨二氧化碳。
• 循环利用磨损轮胎：Oxygene概念轮胎借助3D打印技术实现了免充气的轮胎构造，其原材料由回收后的旧轮胎所制成的橡胶粉组成。轻质的减震结构提供了抗刺扎以及超高耐久性的轮胎解决方案，可延长轮胎寿命，最大限度地减少保养问题，带来无忧无虑的出行模式。该款轮胎的开放式结构有助于胎面吸收地面的水分，同时改善湿地路况下的抓地能力，从而加倍确保出行的安全性。
• 自发电：Oxygene概念轮胎可采集光合作用过程中产生的能量，为轮胎内嵌的电子器件供电，包括胎内传感器、人工智能处理组件和轮胎壁内的可自定义的光带。该光带可变化颜色，从而向司机和行人发出即将出现的动作警示，例如变换车道或刹车等。
• 光速通信：Oxygene概念轮胎采用可视的光通信系统，或称为LiFi，实现高容量的光速移动连接。LiFi能够使轮胎连接至物联网，从而实现车对车(V2V)和车对基础设施(V2I)的数据交换，这一点对智能出行管理系统而言至关重要。

德莱尼表示：“正如固特异在往届日内瓦车展所展出的概念设计一样，Oxygene概念轮胎意味着对我们过往的思维方式提出挑战，并围绕智能、安全及可持续的未来出行展开想象。通过以这种方式带来更清洁的空气，这款轮胎将有助于提高城市居民的生活质量和健康水平。”