Goodyear Shows Off reCharge Concept Tire For EVs

Goodyear is sharing its vision for the future of tires for EVs with a concept called Goodyear reCharge. The reCharge tire is a self-regenerating concept tire that is meant to give customers maintenance-free mobility. The tire uses capsules that claim to allow it to adapt over time to climatic circumstances.

The tread compound would be made from a biological material that would be 100% biodegradable. The compound would be reinforced by spider silk. Goodyear says that spider silk is one of the toughest natural materials in the world. ReCharge has a light frame that uses no air, meaning no flat tires to deal with. It's designed to have a tall and narrow shape.

It appears that the rigid frame has holes that allow the capsules to extrude material through them that the tire rolls on. It's that replaceable capsule that allows the tires to be customized to the needs of the driver. Inside the capsule is a customize liquid material. Goodyear offers no real insight into what sort of liquid is inside the capsule.

The video, seen below, also shows that the driver can control the color of the tires. The concept tire sounds farfetched for today's world. There is no indication from Goodyear of when or if the reCharge tire will become a real product that people can purchase.

It's unlikely that Goodyear retailers are going to embrace the tire as it would seem replacing cartridges rather than the whole tire might cut into their bottom line. There is no indication of how much the tires and capsules might cost. Check out the video for more details.