In today’s market, a tire with impressive longevity can sometimes exceed 150,000 or even 200,000 kilometers of useful life. At least that’s what the manufacturers’ warranties suggest, as they rarely if ever exceed this limit. But what if I told you that a new tire model could raise that bar to levels never before seen?
The Goodyear Eagle GO may be just a concept, but its 500,000 kilometer lifespan promises to revolutionize the world of green tires. Made from mostly natural materials, they are part of the U.S. company’s carbon-neutral philosophy that says it wants to replace petroleum-based products by 2040.
Designed for the Citroën Oli
The idea did not come out of nowhere. Rather, Goodyear came up with this innovative model as part of a partnership with Citroën for its Oli concept, an electric SUV designed to be as small as possible, perfectly suited for its European market. It’s true that it’s hard to imagine this in the north american market, which is flooded with large vehicles, even among zero-emission models. Examples include the F-150 Lightning and the Chevrolet Blazer EV, two EVs that stand out for many things… but not for their small size!
The Oli was created to be practical, light and above all to last a long time. With this in mind, Goodyear created the Eagle GO, which is made of almost 100% renewable or recyclable products. To reach those 500,000 kilometers, the American company relies on a retreading system that would renew the tread twice. The composition of the tread is also worth mentioning: rice husk ash, sunflower oil and pine resin, you probably have some of these ingredients in your pantry!
The Eagle GO, a smart tire?
Goodyear clearly wanted to impress with its concept by integrating all its most sophisticated technologies, such as the SightLine system that some commercial customers already benefit from. By the end of the decade, the company would like to equip all of its products with such intelligent systems, which provide real-time information on wheel condition. Thanks to cleverly placed sensors, the operator can measure virtually all the variables of the tire in order to diagnose problems before they cause any inconvenience.
As you can probably guess, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever get to try a model exactly like the Eagle GO, but the insights it brings are still interesting. Its partnership with the French company probably won’t translate into a model here, but who knows how the American company’s next models might evolve? In the meantime, you can still take advantage of Goodyear’s ingenuity at Blackcircles.ca with tires like the WinterCommand or Wrangler!
