Bridgestone says its ‘Air Free' concept tyre could make production in less than two years, after undergoing testing on ultra-light vehicles.
As the name suggests, the concept is a non-pneumatic tyre and consists of three main parts: an aluminium inner wheel, a rubber-based outer tread and thermoplastic resin spokes. The interlaced structure of the spokes helps the concept behave like a conventional tyre, supposedly offering the same level of manoeuvrability and stability.
‘One of the key benefits of the concept is that there's no need to worry about punctures,' says Bridgestone's consumer sales and marketing director, Farrell Dolan. ‘There's also no need to check tyre pressures.'
As the name suggests, the concept is a non-pneumatic tyre and consists of three main parts: an aluminium inner wheel, a rubber-based outer tread and thermoplastic resin spokes. The interlaced structure of the spokes helps the concept behave like a conventional tyre, supposedly offering the same level of manoeuvrability and stability.
‘One of the key benefits of the concept is that there's no need to worry about punctures,' says Bridgestone's consumer sales and marketing director, Farrell Dolan. ‘There's also no need to check tyre pressures.'