Our graphene-based solutions can enhance these key desired performance characteristics while also improving the overall cost/performance balance. Additionally, used tires could become a carbon source for the Flash Joule Heating process thus improving overall sustainability for this industry.
Tire & Rubber Market Dynamics
The key requirements for new materials to be used in tire & rubber applications are durability, sustainability, and a compelling value proposition.
- Diverse applications: Tires, Hoses, Belts, Conveyors, Seals, Adhesives, Gaskets, Footwear, Protective covers, Floor Mats, etc.
- There were approximately 1.47 billion tires produced in 2023
The three corners of the magic triangle represent:
- Wear Resistance: The tire’s ability to resist wear and maintain its tread life.
- Fuel Efficiency: The tire’s contribution to reducing rolling resistance and improving vehicle fuel economy.
- Traction: The tire’s grip and handling performance on various road conditions.
The magic triangle highlights the trade-offs involved in tire design and compound development.
Tire Manufacturers Challenges
- Average car loses ~2.4 kg (5.3 lbs) of rubber/year
- Globally: tire wear particles contribute 6M tons/year of micro-plastics¹ pollution into the environment.
- Trend: EVs weigh 22-35% more than ICE counterparts, making tire wear worse.
- Tire Manufacturers aim to find the best trade-off within the magic triangle to perform well across all 3 areas.
1 ADAC e.V. Report entitled “Tyre Abrasion: Wear and Burden on the Environment”, Dec. 2021
Changing the Magic Triangle Paradigm and Creating Strong Circular Economics for Tires
Key Benefits of our graphene-based solutions
- Reduce abrasion losses by 20 to 40%; Enables reduction in airborne micro-contaminants
- Reduce rolling resistance and concurrently improve fuel economy by ~10% without losses in traction
- Improve modulus, tear strength, and heat dissipation
- No negative impact to wet/dry traction or other mechanical performance characteristics
- We can deliver these benefits using graphene derived from waste tire carbon
