Goodyear is greening its newest ElectricDrive GT tire that’s out there as aftermarket substitute rubber for the Tesla Mannequin 3—with carbon black that doesn’t depend upon the combustion of fossil fuels.
The brand new tires as a substitute use carbon black from Monolith, made via methane pyrolysis and never requiring combustion, Goodyear says. Monolith’s methane pyrolysis course of as a substitute splits the methane molecule into carbon and hydrogen, utilizing renewable electrical energy.
Carbon black is a vital ingredient in tires for its tear and abrasion resistance. Due to their added weight and better torque output, EVs want completely different tires, too. The ElectricDrive GT line, particularly, has a built-in sound barrier for highway noise, which is usually additionally a difficulty in EVs, and it claims a quiet journey—though in response to Goodyear it’s an “ultra-high-performance” all-season tire.
Goodyear ElectricDrive GT tires for Tesla Mannequin 3
Goodyear didn’t say the place it procures the methane for the carbon black on this course of, or state whether or not this course of really reduces the carbon footprint of the ensuing product. But it surely did notice that it’s investigating with Monolith the potential expanded use of carbon black produced from methane derived from waste sources.
In 2019, Bridgestone claimed to be the primary tire firm to make tires with recovered carbon black from different industrial processes, and final 12 months it mentioned it’s taking a look at bringing pure rubber again into tires. Goodyear in a 2022 confirmed an indication tire fabricated from 70% sustainable supplies, then only a 12 months later, this January it upped the ante to 90%. The latest tire thought-about carbon black from 4 completely different sources. Each manufacturers plan to go 100% renewable or sustainable, however these previous few p.c will be the most difficult.
Tesla Mannequin 3 with prototype Goodyear airless tires
Up to now these are solely the alternatives of firms concerned about greening their photographs and lowering their carbon footprints, however rules would possibly feasibly cowl tire compounds sooner or later. California is contemplating effectivity requirements for substitute tires, although it’s primarily a matter of assuring sure fuel-saving rolling-resistance numbers.
