Destined For The Landfill: How Tire Companies Are Producing Tires That Are Healthier For The Environment

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. You've probably heard the phrase uttered over and over again since you were a kid. It's a simple concept that requires us to find a productive use for our waste, while simultaneously keeping our environment clean. For tire manufacturers this has always been a difficult task.

In 2007 the Department of Transportation estimated that there were roughly 254.4 million passenger vehicles registered in the United States, and the number is rising. This number does not include commercial vehicles, vehicles used for farming, etc.

When you consider the fact that each vehicle operates on 4 tires (motorcycles and tricycles using two and three tires respectively), and  most drivers travel with a spare tire, you're looking at over one billion different tires touching down on U.S. pavement each year. With the average life of each tire ending at around 40,000 miles, most drivers will have to replace their tires every two years or so.

These are loose averages, but the trend is obvious. We have a lot of tire waste that needs to be dealt with. A large percentage of old tires are burned for their fuel value, for their use on basketball courts, shoe products, etc. As for the rest of the old tires, mot will find their way to a landfill. Tires are very durable and they usually contain a number of components that, when broken down, could pose an issue for the environment. Tires also take up a lot of space in landfills because they have roughly 75% void space.

How Can Tire Manufacturers Help?

Some tire manufacturers are attempting to tackle this problem at the point of creation. For example, Goodyear has started to use rice husk waste in the construction of their tires. The Akron based tire maker uses the ash left over from the burning of rice husks to produce electricity as an environmentally friendly source of silica for use in their tires. Tested for over two years at the company's Innovation Center in Akron, it has been proven that this new environmentally friendly method is equally as effective as traditional sources.  

With 700 million tons of rice being harvested globally every year, disposing of all the waste has proven to be yet another environmental challenge. Goodyear has found a way to use one form of waste to partially prevent the creation of another. The company is now looking to suppliers to produce rice husk ash silica for mass purchase.

Goodyear is not alone in the fight to protect our environment. Michelin uses Green-X Technology in their Michelin Energy Saver tires, which promises a level of energy efficiency that is among the highest in the tire market. The technology helps to reduce CO2 emissions while maintaining all of the dependable advantages of driving on Michelin tires.

The Yokohama Tire Company produces their Avid Ascend tires using Orange Oil Technology which uses oil extracted from orange peels to improve the molecular bond between natural and synthetic rubber. This helps to enhance the tread life, fuel efficiency, and all-season traction of the tire, in addition to making the tire healthier for the environment.

With major brand name tire companies taking the lead on greener innovations, will more manufacturers follow suit? If we make the educated choice to purchase these environmentally friendly tires they'll have little choice.  

Vehicle Recall Information Will Be More Accessible To The Public

Why does it seem like so many vehicles are being recalled lately? Just yesterday Toyota issued a recall for over 20,000 vehicles because they could be experiencing a potential fuel leak. Back in April, Mazda issued a recall for over 40,000 vehicles because there was a problem with spider infestation. Yes, you read that right. 

According to a Mazda spokesman, the hydrocarbons in gasoline attract yellow sac spiders that can sometimes find their way into the fuel tank hose. Once inside the hose the spider may weave a web blocking the flow of air through the tube. As a result the fuel tank could crack, and a cracked fuel tank is very real fire hazard. This of course is not ideal.

Toyota and Mazda are certainly not the only vehicle manufacturers at fault. General Motors announced a 41,000 vehicle recall because the fuel pumps inside the vehicles were cracking due to the sweltering summer heat, and Ford Motor Co. recalled 74,000 vehicles because the electric hybrid system inside the vehicles were prone to overheating. 

Now the fact of the matter is that nobody is perfect. While a recall may hurt a manufacturer's reputation for a period of time, it does not define the company. However, if  a manufacturer made a habit of recalling their vehicles it would be another story.

The Next Step & Determining If Your Vehicle Has Been Recalled?

This past Thursday House Democrats passed the Vehicle Safety Improvement Act, which expands public access to vehicle defect and safety information. It also allows the NHTSA to dish out harsher penalties to automakers who violate safety laws.

As a consumer you can find out if your vehicle has been recalled for any reason by submitting your vehicle information at SafeCar.gov.

Even the smallest mistakes can not be tolerated when lives are at stake. We place our trust in auto companies, and they should be held fully accountable for their mistakes, no matter how small. 

What do you think the penalty should be for repeat safety offenders? 

How Local Motors 3-D Printed "Strati" Car Will Help To Pave The Way For Future Designs

Can you imagine how cool it would be to design your own car and print the entire model out from the comfort of your home? Well you can put your imagination away because Local Motors, a micro-manufacturing company out of Phoenix, Arizona, has done just that. Although the 2014 International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago was more of a center stage event rather than a discrete at-home operation, the team at Local Motors accomplished the incredible feat of printing their "Strati" car design in just 44 hours, and it is very cool.

The average motor vehicle consists of hundreds of separate parts, but the 3-D printed Strati uses only 40 parts. Though very proud of their accomplishment (as they should be), the Local Motors team acknowledged that there is plenty more work to be done in terms of structure and materials used, as well as how to go about fastening additional parts to the printed structure. We've barely broken the surface when it comes to how we can customize and personalize 3-D printed products.

How Might 3-D Printing Affect The Tire Industry?

We have seen some truly incredible products come out of 3-D printing so far. From dinosaur bones to bionic ears, and now a full size car. Will something as common place as tires become a 3-D printing norm? If so, we should not expect to print out Michelin or Bridgestone quality tires from a 3-D printer. The printed tire will roll, but there is no way to mimic the design of a top quality tire right now.

Thousands of tires are manufactured every day around the world. With 3-D printing technology we can eliminate the need for the standard engineering and tooling required for traditional manufacturing, thus being able to produce at a faster rate. I do not know what sort of impact this will have on the job market, but in terms of efficiency it seems like a home run.

When I first heard the term "3-D printing", I imagined a machine that could print out a physical version of a product that you can search for on the web. Upon learning more about the 3-D printing process, it's funny to see just how close my assumption actually was.

While it is not as simple as selecting an image and pressing "Print in 3-D", the 3-D printing process enables the creation of physical objects from a 3-D file. The printer then builds the object, layer by layer.

Local Motors has proven to us that the future of 3-D printing is very bright and hopefully as convenient as the time-lapse video above makes it seem. We could be on the verge of a third Industrial Revolution right now, and I for one am very excited to see how 3-D printing evolves in the coming years.

Would you like to print your own tires, or would you rather stick to the trusted name brand manufacturers?