Goodyear reinvents the wheel with the Eagle-360

Goodyear Eagle-360

That’s right, it’s a sphere. The development of this 3D printed spherical tyre aims at improving manoeuvrability of a car when autonomous driving is prevalent. The limitation of a wheel is that it can move only back and forth, while a sphere can move in any direction. This for example, means that while overtaking another vehicle, the body of the car continues to maintain its driving direction.

The Goodyear Eagle-360 tyres will not be mechanically attached to the vehicle. Instead, it uses magnetic levitation to suspend the car like in maglev trains in Japan. These tyres also use sensors not only to communicate to the car’s system about road and whether conditions but also to optimise tread wear. Another feature on the tyre, called biomimicry, is a tread pattern that resembles the pattern of a brain coral. According to Goodyear, “its multidirectional blocks and grooves help to secure a safe contact patch.” These grooves have elements similar to a sponge that stiffen when dry and soften when they come in contact with water. To get a better understanding of this tyre technology works, you should watch the video that Goodyear has made below.

However, we won’t be seeing these tyres anytime soon considering the fact that the concept of a car itself needs to be rethought to facilitate this. What we will be seeing in the nearer future however, are the more conventional tyres that Goodyear has developed for autonomous driving.

New Delhi gets its first electric bus

New Delhi will see its first electric bus ply from today. Delhi Transport Minister, Gopal Rai, flagged off the bus. The no-pollution bus will run from Delhi Secretariat to Central Secretariat from 6:30am to 9:20pm everyday. The minimum fare will be Rs 10. The bus takes four hours to charge and has a range of 280km.

Spaking at the flag off ceremony, Gopal Rai said, “It is the first such bus in India which is 100 percent pollution-free, operates completely on electricity and used for public transport. The bus will run on trial basis for six months in Delhi and we will assess if more such buses could be added to our next fleet of 1,000 buses.”

The picture is of the bus in Banglore. Used for representational purpose only

The bus is made in China and is fully air-conditioned. It also features hydraulic suspension and has a seating capacity for 31 people, about 10 seats lesser than a conventional low floor Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus. The operational costs for this bus will be Rs 12.06/km.

The Delhi Dialogue Commission (DDC) had initiated the project after its vice chairperson,Ashish Khetan visited China in 2015. The Government has not paid for the bus since, it’s being run on a promotional basis by its Chinese manufacturers, BYD Auto Industry Company, and the Indian importers, the Smart Group. The DTC, meanwhile, has marked out a parking spot for the bus at the Millennium Depot and also set up a charging facility for the bus. The Government will study the feasibility of the bus, over the next six months, after which it will take a decision to increase the number of buses.