Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in Akron, Ohio, will test its airless tire and wheel assembly in driverless vehicle transportation in Jacksonville, Florida.
The industry-first field testing of Goodyear's "non-pneumatic tire" (NPT) will be done by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Goodyear said in a press release.
For the last three years, Goodyear has worked with Local Motors, the Chandler, Arizona-based leader in the design and manufacturing of autonomous vehicles, to test its airless tire by using it on Olli, the autonomous shuttle developed by Local Motors, Goodyear said.
The tire and vehicle manufacturers have tested the tire's ability to meet load, speed and durability targets, the Akron tiremaker said.
Now, Goodyear and Local Motors will expand their testing by gathering experiential data about ride comfort, noise and other variables through their work with the Florida transportation authority, Goodyear said.
"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 of non-pneumatic tires, in the press release.
Autonomous vehicles like Local Motors' Olli need to decrease maintenance costs and perform reliably, said Vikrant Aggarwal, president of Local Motors, in the release.
"Goodyear's non-pneumatic tires are positioned to give maintenance teams less to worry about while giving passengers a quiet, consistent ride," Aggarwal said. "Non-pneumatic tires may just be the industry standard in the coming years."
In 2019, Goodyear pivoted its NPT concentration to on-road testing and a growing relationship with Local Motors, the Akron tire maker said.
Shares of Goodyear (NYSE: GT) were down more than 3% to $16.50 in early afternoon trading on Tuesday.
