Friday, November 22, 2013

No. 810: Plant-derived tire is developed by a Japanese tire manufacturer (November 22, 2013)

Technology:
Sumitomo Rubber will put an oil-free tire on the market on Nov. 22 for the first time in the world. The oil-free tire is made of plant-derived materials including corn and field mustard. Oil-derived materials usually account for 60% of the existing tire. 

 The newly-developed oil-free tire (righjt) and 
a replica of the first tire produced in Japan (left)
 
The new time will be sold under the brand name Enasave (saving energy in Japanese) 100. It is 1.2 times stronger against wear than the existing tire. The suggested retail price of this new tire (195 mm wide) is 21,105 yen. The company plans to sell a tire whose rolling resistance coefficient is 50% lower than the existing tire in 2014, showing their determination to place the highest importance on developing products characterized by energy-saving and low-fuel consumption. The following two web pages explain Sumitomo's Enasave more in detail (in Japanese). 


Sumitomo's Enasave vs. Bridgestone's Regno

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