Toyota Explores Airless Tires to Build Lighter Electric Vehicles
- Company using airless tires for first time on new concept car
- Tiremaker Sumitomo Rubber says other automakers interested
An aireless tire on a Toyota's Fine-Comfort Ride concept vehicle.
Photographer: Akio Kon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Toyota Motor Corp. is eyeing airless tires to help reduce the weight of battery-electric and fuel-cell vehicles and boost performance, even though the technology is years away from being ready for commercial use.
The automaker is using airless tires -- featuring individual motors in each wheel -- on a vehicle for the first time with its hydrogen-powered concept car, Fine-Comfort Ride, unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show last week, chief engineer Takao Sato said in an interview. Since such tires comprise a band of rubber encircling a plastic-aluminum hub, the premise is that they could one day compensate for the weight of the motors, he said.