SMART Tire company is a company that develops airless tires with the help of NASA rover tech. It has won two innovation awards at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the world’s largest tech conference.
On its website, SMART says its METL tires won two awards “as Honorees in two different categories, Vehicle Tech & Advanced Mobility and Sustainability, Eco-Design & Smart Energy.”
SMART’s objectives are to massively improve the sustainability of the inherently unsustainable tire industry and to enhance road safety.
According to SMART, 75 percent of the tire industry’s revenue comes from replacement tires. The company’s two founders, Brian Yennie and Earl Cole, claim their new tires will revolutionize the $250 billion tire industry.
In a September interview, Yennie explained that “without pressurized air inside your tires, punctures are no longer a concern. Even large tears won’t slow these tires down: you could stick a kitchen knife right through and keep on riding because it’s not going to affect the structural integrity of the tire.”
METL bicycle tire is the pioneer product of the firm. The company will also provide tires for e-mobility scooters before finally bringing METL car tires to the market a few years from now.
According to Yennie, “20 percent of roadside emergencies involve a tire issue, and the vast majority of those are due to a loss of pressure or improper inflation.”
Yennie said SMART has cut down material costs by over 85 percent over the previous year for its bicycle prototype tire. The company is performing the “final tweaks before going to market,” he explained.
On its website, the firm says the METL bicycle tire will be priced at around $100-150. Orders will begin in the first quarter of 2023.