“The Hankook iFlex’s ability to deliver the perfect
high-speed driving performance is the result of Hankook Tire’s longstanding
commitment to independently developing progressive, innovative tire technology.
Aiming to strengthen our technological leadership in the global tire market, we
will continue to develop cutting edge eco-friendly and future-oriented tires.”
Vice Chairman and CEO
of Hankook Tire Seung-Hwa Suh in a press release announcing the iFlex tyre
South Korean tyre maker Hankook is one step closer to making
an airless tyre replacement.
They recently tested an airless or non-pneumatic tyre design
called the iFlex that uses less Rubber and more recyclable materials as
reported in the article “Hankook’s
high-speed tests inch airless tires closer to production”, published July
15, 2015 By Scott Collie, Gizmag.
The company made this known in a Hankook Press Release
published Tuesday July 14th 2015 entitled “Hankook
Tire’s Future-oriented Tire Succeeds High-speed Driving without Air Pressure”.
Hankook iFlex
Airless Tyres – Recyclable Tyres sans Natural Rubber are coming
In the Press Release, Hankook declared the success of
testing their tyre at high speeds under various testing conditions, quote: “In
the speed test, the electric car equipped with iFlex tires reached 130 kph
(around 80 mph). The impressive results in all five categories demonstrated
that the NPTs could match conventional tires in terms of performance”.
The tests on the iFlex can be broken down into five (5)
broad categories:
1. Durability
2. Hardness
3. Stability
4. Slalom
(Sideways drifting)
5. Speed
Hankook tested their tyres using an All-Electric Vehicle
that hit speeds as high as 130 km/h (81
mph) without incurring significant damage to the tyre as noted in the article “The
iFlex, an airless tire designed by Hankook, proves successful in initial tests”,
published July 24, 2015 By Lulu Chang, Digitaltrends.
The advantage or airless tyres made from rigid geometric
shapes to maintain its shape instead of using air are as follows:
1. Energy-efficient
to manufacture
2. Easy
to recycle
3. Reduced
used of Rubber
4. Reduced
need to change tyres as they don’t puncture
5. Reduce
emission during production and recycling
6. Improved
Fuel and Electrical efficiency of Gasoline and All-Electric Vehicles
The new tyre is also different from previous models, where
the rims and the airless tyre were one unit, forcing individuals retrofitting
their vehicles with these tyres to change their rims.
Now the iFlex can slip onto the rims of a regular vehicle,
making it no different from a regular tyre and thus not requiring the vehicle
owner to make any expensive changes to their vehicles to use this new
technology.
Hankook iFlex Tyre
passes High speed Tests - Why Rubber Replacement for Tyres needed or 9 billion
people will starve by 2030
This bodes well for Hankook, as their competition Michelin
has started North American production of their airless tyre, the Tweel, that functions
like an ordinary tyre.
Bridgestone, another competitor, has also been testing their
Air Free Tyre on Japanese solo
Al-Electric Vehicles as reported in my blog article
entitled “Bridgestone's
Air Free Tyre - Why the silent Switch to Airless Tyre indicates that we'll run
out of Rubber by 2030”.
There is a the coming shortage in 2030 of the Natural Rubber
from Pará Rubber trees (Hevea
brasiliensis) from largest producers, Thailand and Indonesia, due to
increasing global demand and a worsening drought in these countries.
They too, will soon have to decide between growing Pará Rubber
trees (Hevea brasiliensis) to satisfy
growing global demand due to the increasing number of persons driving vehicles
or growing food to feed the nine (9) billion hungry and starving by 2030.
This is due to an impending meat, wheat and rice shortage
and need to switch to eating insects as suggested by the UNFAO (United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization) as explained in my blog article
entitled “United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says Insects is the Meat for the next
20 years - Soylent Green may be avoided via Indiana Jones and the Temple of
Doom”.
No timeline has been given for their introduction, but
expect them to hit the market long before 2020, when we run out of chocolate as
explained in my blog
article entitled “Chocolate
Shortage in 2020 – Chinese, Indian and American addiction Inflates Price of
Cocoa as Jamaica needs to produce Chocolate” due to increased Rubber
production.
So a switch to Synthetic Rubber to make airless tyres that
use less Natural Rubber isn't just about keeping tyre prices low.
It's also about being able to feed ourselves come 2013, when
the world's population touches nine (9) billion and insects or Dulce Seaweed as
explained in my blog
article entitled “Oregon
State University discover Dulce Seaweed Algae taste like Bacon - How Dulce can
solve UNFAO's Meat Crisis in 2025 and also make Beer” will become the next
meat replacement for Americans addicted to speed and bacon.
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