While the trucking industry is fixated on the future of trucks without diesel fuel, several tire manufacturers have been working on developing tires without air.
Non-pneumatic tires (NPTs) eliminate the need for tires to be inflated with air to support vehicle weight by using a spoke or web design and the tire’s own tread band to optimize load carrying capacity.
“Unlike conventional tires, non-pneumatic tire technology includes the complete assembly to meet application requirements, meaning the tire, web and the wheel are designed as one assembly,” says Jon Kimpel, executive director of new mobility solutions, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. Bridgestone’s Air Free Concept uses a unique structure of resin spokes stretching along the inner sides of the tire.
Since NPTs don’t fluctuate in pressure, they could extend tread life simply by eliminating over and under-inflation. But much work and experimentation lies ahead.
“We are still exploring the total life cycle of a non-pneumatic tire solution,” Kimpel says. “The intent is to leverage retreading as it extends tire life and delivers a lower total cost of tire ownership for fleets.”
Currently, NPTs are being deployed only in low-speed and off-road equipment like skid steers, zero turn mowers and golf carts.
“Non-pneumatic tires are being investigated but still are not a viable option for the [trucking] industry,” says Accuride Field Engineer Brandon Uzarek. “It will take extensive product and process development to make a non-pneumatic tire/wheel a cost effective option for the industry.”
