AKRON, Ohio, July 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In an industry
first, Goodyear (NASDAQ: GT) has developed a non-pneumatic
(airless) tire (NPT) and wheel assembly to support autonomous
vehicle transportation in a city setting for in-field use with the
Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA).
For the past three years, Goodyear and Local Motors have tested
an Olli shuttle supported by the NPT at Goodyear testing facilities
and other locations reaching several performance targets with
respect to load, speed and durability.
In 2019, Goodyear pivoted its NPT concentration to on-road
testing and a growing relationship with Local Motors. While this
testing phase will reveal more about non-pneumatic tires, airless
tires may offer sustainable, maintenance-free and longer-lasting
options. The urban transportation environment provides an ideal
testing scenario for the alternative tire architecture given its
lower speed and less variable travel paths.
Goodyear and Local Motors will gather experiential data from the
JTA, looking for viewpoints on ride comfort, noise and other
variables.
"As mobility evolves, we feel that tires can transform the way
we move and alternative airless architectures are ideal,
particularly in the emerging autonomous transportation
environment," said Michael Rachita,
Goodyear's senior program manager, non-pneumatic tires. "This is an
important milestone as we look to advance mobility today and as we
look to introduce the first completely sustainable and
maintenance-free tires by the end of the decade."
"The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is proud to integrate
this innovative and sustainable technology into our Autonomous
Vehicle Test & Learn program as we develop the future of
mobility through the Ultimate Urban Circulator," said JTA CEO
Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. "This
collaboration is another example of how Jacksonville is leading the public
transportation industry in developing AV mobility solutions."
"Testing with best-in-class software and technology partners is
enabling the JTA to lead globally in readiness for the use of
autonomous platform in an urban environment. We are excited for the
opportunity to extend the Test & Learn program with the JTA,
Goodyear and Local Motors to prove out the use of other innovations
such as the Goodyear airless tires, as this will only further
transform transportation as we know it," said Joe Moye, Beep CEO.
"Autonomous vehicles, like Olli, need to decrease maintenance
costs and perform reliably," said Local Motors President
Vikrant Aggarwal. "Goodyear's
non-pneumatic tires are positioned to give maintenance teams less
to worry about while giving passengers a quiet, consistent ride.
Non-pneumatic tires may just be the industry standard in the coming
years."
About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It
employs about 72,000 people and manufactures its products in 54
facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation
Centers in Akron, Ohio, and
Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to
develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the
technology and performance standard for the industry. For more
information about Goodyear and its products, go
to www.goodyear.com/corporate.
About Local Motors
Local Motors designs, manufactures, and deploys next-generation
vehicles. Founded in 2007 with a belief in open collaboration,
Local Motors began low-volume vehicle manufacturing of open-source
designs utilizing a microfactory model. Since its inception, Local
Motors has debuted no less than three world firsts: the world's
first co-created vehicle, the world's first 3D-printed car, and the
world's first co-created, autonomous, electric vehicle, Olli. We
believe that Olli is the answer to a sustainable, accessible
mobility solution for all.
About Beep
Beep delivers the next generation of mobility services utilizing
driverless, electric, multi-passenger vehicles. By specializing in
planning, deploying and managing advanced autonomous shuttles for
both private and public communities, Beep safely connects people,
places and services in first-mile, last-mile mobility networks.
Beep also leverages the data and learnings from its public road
deployments to produce vehicle agnostic, edge solutions meant to
enhance safety, access, artificial-intelligence and driverless
operating capabilities of autonomous platforms. Beep delivers
on a primary goal of enabling mobility-for-all with the services
and software they provide. For more information visit:
www.ridebeep.com
About Jacksonville Transportation Authority
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is an
independent state agency serving Duval County, with multi-modal
responsibilities. The JTA designs and constructs bridges and
highways and provides varied mass transit services. These include
express and regular bus service, monorail, the St. Johns
River Ferry, paratransit and other
mobility and on-demand services. The JTA serves the largest city in
the continental U.S. in terms of landmass, in addition to regional
services provided in Baker, Clay,
Nassau and St. Johns counties. An integrated
transportation network is a critical element in any community to
properly manage growth, provide mobility and offer a good quality
of life. Learn more at www.jtafla.com.
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SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company