Could These Tires Change the Way We Drive Forever?

Amaze Lab

This tire might kind of look like an ole-timey covered wagon wheel, but it’s actually quite the opposite. This is the tire recently unveiled by the SMART Tire Company, something they say could change the way we drive.

Transcript

00:00This tire might kind of look like an old-timey covered wagon wheel, but it's actually quite

00:07the opposite.

00:08This is the tire recently unveiled by the Smart Tire Company, something they say could

00:13change the way we drive.

00:14The wheel was designed after the ones used on the first Lunar Rover, and it doesn't need

00:18any air.

00:19That means punctures could soon be a thing of the past.

00:21But what's really revolutionary is what it's made of.

00:24Here's co-founder and CEO of the company, Earl Cole, to explain.

00:28What makes Shape Memory Alloys so special is it's like a super-elastic material.

00:33It's a very flexible, lightweight metal that's elastic like rubber, but strong like titanium.

00:40So you can actually deflect a tire way down to the rim, and it would just always bounce

00:45back to its original shape.

00:46And that's an important thing to note, is car manufacturing shifts towards the electric

00:49market.

00:50Because of their heavy batteries, electric vehicles are heavier, meaning they need stronger

00:54wheels that won't wear out as quickly.

00:56And this new kind of tire could be a boon to sustainability in that regard, as car tires

01:00are a leading cause of microplastic pollution.

01:02The Smart Tire Company is looking to release a version of it for bikes next year, with

01:06another larger set to be installed on the next Lunar Rover, which will carry astronauts

01:10around the moon once again as part of the Artemis V mission.

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