Goodyear announces new AV tire supply deals

Akron, Ohio – Goodyear has struck tire supply deals with two autonomous vehicle (AV) developers in a bid to increase its insight into tire development for this emerging transportation mode.

The supply contracts are with Local Motors Inc., a Chandler, Arizona-based "ground mobility" company, and Sales-Lentz Group SA of Luxembourg.

The deal with Local Motors involves the Arizona company's Olli eight-passenger autonomous shuttle vehicles.

The vehicles are capable of operating at speeds up to 25 mph with a range of up to 40 miles, depending on load.

Through the tire supply for Olli, Goodyear aims to collect data on the operational and maintenance needs of tires fitted on driverless vehicles.

The Olli vehicle can be used at locations such as the University of Michigan's Mcity Test Facility.

The pilot programme, said Chris Helsel, Goodyear's chief technology officer, will help the company transfer “advanced vehicle and ride-sharing data into truly usable and connected information.”

In Luxembourg, Goodyear is providing tires for three autonomous shuttle buses operated by Sales-Lentz Group.

The Luxembourg group already operates some driverless shuttles, with capacity of up to 14 people, throughout the country.

Goodyear noted that its engineers and data scientists can use the collected data to map predictive maintenance and other benefits.