Good advice for planning a new product development project is to write the press release first—that’s as good as it gets. Goodyear seems to have taken this advice to heart in announcing two new tire research projects. In general, however, you don’t actually send out the press release until you can deliver what it promises.

Consider: In conjunction with the Geneva International Motor Show earlier this month, Goodyear announced two tire concept initiatives, each well worth pursuing:

• The Triple-Tube tire employs an internal pump to distribute pressure among three individual air chambers that adjust to road conditions—providing the driver’s choice of optimal efficiency (maximum inflation in all three tubes), optimal dry handling (reduced inflation in the inner shoulder tube), and optimal wet traction (maximum inflation in the center tube for aquaplaning resistance).
• The BHO3 tire generates electricity through thermoelectric and piezoelectric mechanisms as it flexes while rolling or absorbs heat while either rolling or parked in the sun.

“These concept tires reimagine the role that tires may play in the future,” said Joe Zekoski, Goodyear’s senior vice president and chief technical officer, in the press release. “We envision a future in which our products become more integrated with the vehicle and the consumer, more environmentally friendly and more versatile.”

Indeed, both these concepts seem well worth pursuing—perhaps in tandem. Assuming the BHO3 can generate energy through an overall decrease in excess heating and not through an increase in rolling resistance, you might get enough “free” energy to power the tires’ pressure sensors and help power the Triple Tube tires’ pumps. (Here is a video with more.)

But it’s with the following paragraph that the press release seems to go off the road:

“As demand for electric cars grows, this technology has the potential to significantly contribute to the solution of future mobility challenges. This visionary tire technology could eliminate the vehicle-range anxiety motorists may have with electric cars.”

I may be missing something here, but unless your “range anxiety” is measured in centimeters or inches, I don’t think energy harvesting via the piezoelectric effect is going to help much.

As I said, these concepts are worth pursuing, but the press release may need a tuneup.