Christopher Helsel on non-pneumatic tires
From Supercharging the Future of Mobility with Chris Helsel, CTO at Goodyear · · Modern CTO
“Non-pneumatic tires face cost challenges because they must carry load with real materials instead of air, but they offer opportunities for autonomous vehicles by eliminating rapid air loss risks.”
On , Christopher Helsel, Senior Vice President & Chief Technical Officer at GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO, spoke about non-pneumatic tires during Supercharging the Future of Mobility with Chris Helsel, CTO at Goodyear on Modern CTO.
About Christopher Helsel
Chris Helsel, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Goodyear, has discussed the company's focus on integrating sensors into tires to monitor temperature, pressure, and acceleration, providing real-time data for safety and efficiency. He stated that Goodyear's first original equipment fitment with smart tires embedded with chips would be on the market before the end of 2023. Helsel also outlined the company's goal of achieving a 100 percent renewable tire by 2030, noting that supply chains for traditional materials would be disrupted. He mentioned that Goodyear has a corporate venture fund investing in mobility startups and is collaborating with companies such as Tesla, GM, and Lockheed on projects including the Artemis lunar mission. Helsel has emphasized the importance of sustainability, citing the use of soybean oil and rice husk ash silica as alternative materials, and noted that over 90 percent of tires are reclaimed at end of life. He described the challenges of non-pneumatic tires for autonomous vehicles, which replace air with thermoplastic webbing, and stated that the company aims to put a sensor in every tire by 2027. Helsel also discussed the acceleration of trends like e-commerce and connectivity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and advocated for "disruptive collaboration" between established companies and startups to address mobility and sustainability challenges.