Cooper to partner with NREL for DOE contract

ERJ staff report (TB)

Findlay, Ohio -- Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. is partnering with the US Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for modelling and computational analysis of fuel-efficiency technology Cooper plans to develop under a $1.5 million DOE grant the firm was awarded recently.

The grant, one of only five awarded by the DOE in the Fleet Efficiency category, calls on Cooper to develop over the coming three years an ultra-lightweight tyre that delivers a minimum of 3 percent improvement in vehicle fuel efficiency, Cooper said.

The tyre maker calls Golden, Colo.-based NREL the “nation's premier laboratory for research and development in renewable energy and energy efficiency.”

While Cooper will tap into the NREL's vast computing resources for “modeling and computational analysis of the new technology's impact on improved tyre performance,” development of the technology will be carried out in Cooper´s Findlay, Ohio-based technical centre and plants in the US, the company said.

Cooper said it will use the DOE funding to “accelerate the development and refinement of innovative tyre design, construction, materials and reinforcement technologies” focused on the replacement tyre market and allow the company to enhance its technical capabilities and product offerings.

“This grant accentuates a renewed commitment and emphasis by Cooper to leverage our technical capabilities,” said Chuck Yurkovich, vice president of global technology. “Ultimately this will bring increased value and benefits to end-users. It presents us with the opportunity to expand our efforts beyond traditional areas and ultimately to bring new lightweight fuel efficient products to the public much more rapidly.”

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)