This Futuristic Tire Concept Regrows Its Tread by Popping a Pill

It's like Tide Pods for your car tires.

ReCharge

Tire maker Goodyear debuted a futuristic tire concept on Tuesday, called ReCharge, that has the ability to regrow its tread using a special liquid compound capsule.

Since the Geneva Motor Show was cancelled this year due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, we get to watch the flashy announcement video and read the press release from the comfort of our own homes.

 

Tire Pods

The capsule — think of it as a Tide Pod for your car tire — contains a special "reloadable and biodegradable tread compound" that enables the tire to grow more tread.

Just to be clear, it doesn't exist yet. But if Goodyear were to actually build it, the material "would be made from a biological material with fibres inspired by [...] spider silk," according to the statement.

Swapping Pods

Goodyear envisions different pods for different road conditions, skipping the tedious chore of swapping your all-seasons for a set of winter tires. And there's another bonus: you'd never experience "downtime related to punctures."

Did we mention the pods would use artificial intelligence to create a perfect pod to suit the driver's exact needs?

Wacky Concept

It's far from the first wacky concept dreamed up by the company. Last year, Goodyear invented a wheel that can double as a flying car propeller, and in 2018, it dreamed up a moss-filled tire that aims to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.

But for now, of course, these are all just concepts.

READ MORE: Goodyear ReCharge concept tire regrows tread by taking a pill [CNET]

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