AKRON, Ohio, July 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In an industry first, Goodyear (NASDAQ: GT) has developed a non-pneumatic (airless) tire (NPT) and wheel assembly to support autonomous vehicle transportation in a city setting for in-field use with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA).

For the past three years, Goodyear and Local Motors have tested an Olli shuttle supported by the NPT at Goodyear testing facilities and other locations reaching several performance targets with respect to load, speed and durability.

In 2019, Goodyear pivoted its NPT concentration to on-road testing and a growing relationship with Local Motors. While this testing phase will reveal more about non-pneumatic tires, airless tires may offer sustainable, maintenance-free and longer-lasting options. The urban transportation environment provides an ideal testing scenario for the alternative tire architecture given its lower speed and less variable travel paths.

Goodyear and Local Motors will gather experiential data from the JTA, looking for viewpoints on ride comfort, noise and other variables.

"As mobility evolves, we feel that tires can transform the way we move and alternative airless architectures are ideal, particularly in the emerging autonomous transportation environment," said Michael Rachita, Goodyear's senior program manager, non-pneumatic tires. "This is an important milestone as we look to advance mobility today and as we look to introduce the first completely sustainable and maintenance-free tires by the end of the decade." 

"The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is proud to integrate this innovative and sustainable technology into our Autonomous Vehicle Test & Learn program as we develop the future of mobility through the Ultimate Urban Circulator," said JTA CEO Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. "This collaboration is another example of how Jacksonville is leading the public transportation industry in developing AV mobility solutions."

"Testing with best-in-class software and technology partners is enabling the JTA to lead globally in readiness for the use of autonomous platform in an urban environment. We are excited for the opportunity to extend the Test & Learn program with the JTA, Goodyear and Local Motors to prove out the use of other innovations such as the Goodyear airless tires, as this will only further transform transportation as we know it," said Joe Moye, Beep CEO.

"Autonomous vehicles, like Olli, need to decrease maintenance costs and perform reliably," said Local Motors President Vikrant Aggarwal. "Goodyear's non-pneumatic tires are positioned to give maintenance teams less to worry about while giving passengers a quiet, consistent ride. Non-pneumatic tires may just be the industry standard in the coming years."

About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 72,000 people and manufactures its products in 54 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

About Local Motors

Local Motors designs, manufactures, and deploys next-generation vehicles. Founded in 2007 with a belief in open collaboration, Local Motors began low-volume vehicle manufacturing of open-source designs utilizing a microfactory model. Since its inception, Local Motors has debuted no less than three world firsts: the world's first co-created vehicle, the world's first 3D-printed car, and the world's first co-created, autonomous, electric vehicle, Olli. We believe that Olli is the answer to a sustainable, accessible mobility solution for all.

About Beep

Beep delivers the next generation of mobility services utilizing driverless, electric, multi-passenger vehicles. By specializing in planning, deploying and managing advanced autonomous shuttles for both private and public communities, Beep safely connects people, places and services in first-mile, last-mile mobility networks. Beep also leverages the data and learnings from its public road deployments to produce vehicle agnostic, edge solutions meant to enhance safety, access, artificial-intelligence and driverless operating capabilities of autonomous platforms.  Beep delivers on a primary goal of enabling mobility-for-all with the services and software they provide. For more information visit: www.ridebeep.com

About Jacksonville Transportation Authority

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is an independent state agency serving Duval County, with multi-modal responsibilities. The JTA designs and constructs bridges and highways and provides varied mass transit services. These include express and regular bus service, monorail, the St. Johns River Ferry, paratransit and other mobility and on-demand services. The JTA serves the largest city in the continental U.S. in terms of landmass, in addition to regional services provided in Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties. An integrated transportation network is a critical element in any community to properly manage growth, provide mobility and offer a good quality of life. Learn more at www.jtafla.com.

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SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company