Using a range of sustainable materials in the tire tread compound, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has developed the Eagle GO concept tire, which will be fitted to Citroën’s new concept car, oli.

For more than 120 years, Goodyear has pursued sustainable, low-maintenance innovations and inventions and partnering with Citroën continues a longstanding relationship between both brands. The Eagle GO is the third Goodyear concept tire developed with Citroën and has been created to optimize efficiency, durability and comfort.

Sustainable-material tread compound

This concept tire uses a compound in the tread, the part of the tire that wears, made of nearly all sustainable or recycled materials. These materials include sunflower oils, pine tree resins, natural rubber and rice husk ash silica. These materials are described below:

• Sunflower oils and pine tree resins are renewable solutions to replace petroleum-derived oils. These materials are currently being used to make ‘Vegetable Ink’ for printers. Goodyear’s goal is to fully replace petroleum-derived oils in its products by 2040.
• Natural rubber from the Hevea brasiliensis tree is used to replace synthetic petroleum-based rubber, using responsible farming and cultivation methods1 .
• Rice husk ash silica from rice processing can reduce waste going to landfills and has previously been used in reinforced concrete.

Renewable tread

The Eagle GO concept tire has the potential to be renewed twice across its lifetime, which increases the lifespan of the tire. Goodyear has set an objective for the Eagle GO concept tire to achieve up to 500,000km through the reuse of the sustainable carcass and renewable tread.

Intelligent technology

The Eagle GO concept tire uses Goodyear SightLine technology, which includes a sensor that monitors a variety of tire health parameters. This technology is already being applied to help Goodyear fleet customers and could significantly reduce waste and increase efficiency by maintaining ideal pressure and tire condition. Monitoring the health of the tire is an important factor in determining whether or when a tire can be renewed, thus increasing circularity and efficiency. Adding this technology to the Eagle GO concept tire is in line with Goodyear’s goal to reinvent tires and service, delivering data-and-sensorenabled intelligence in all new products by 2027.

“Tire architecture has come a long way by incorporating sustainable materials and smart technologies,“ explained Laurent Colantonio, Regional Technology Director Consumer EMEA. “With Citroën, we have a relationship that provides a great testbed for developing and testing new technologies and techniques.

“Concept tires are a fantastic way for Goodyear to research and develop groundbreaking technologies that can make its way into our products. The learnings from this project will go towards our future as a mobility enabler that consistently innovates its products and services.”

[1] In line with Goodyear’s Natural Rubber Procurement Policy