Tires of the future could customize themselves to driving conditions
Swappable pods would supply the reCharge with material to create its treads. (Goodyear/)The Geneva Auto Show isn’t happening this year due to concerns about the coronavirus, but the new cars and concepts are still trickling out into the world digitally. Tire manufacturer Goodyear typically uses Geneva as a platform to show off its most outlandish and futuristic ideas that it calls “stretch concepts.” This year’s concept is called reCharge and it envisions a complete wheel system that dynamically creates its own tread using material dispersed from replaceable liquid cartridges. The foundation of the wheel itself wouldn’t change—it’s a permanent, airless space supported by a series of internal metal structures. The actual compound that hits the road would protrude through holes in the tire’s surface. In practice, it looks a lot like Play-Doh coming through an extruder in a uniform pattern.Because the tread material comes from a changeable pod, drivers would...