The End Of Tires As We Know Them?

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What if your car or truck could ditch expensive and unsafe rubber tires and embrace a non-pneumatic wheel with in-built suspension?

That’s what Phoenix-based Global Air Cylinder Wheels (GACW) is thinking about, at least in the long term.

While the startup company states it is currently blazing a trail with its innovative non-pneumatic Air Suspension Wheel (ASW) by offering an alternative to the expensive and environmentally unfriendly rubber tire for heavy industry vehicles, it is also looking further afield than that.

The company sees the potential for its ASW across the entire existing tire market, valued at $322 billion in 2022 globally and with an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4%. The ASW is an airless, mechanical wheel composed mainly of steel that is designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle it is attached to and which is completely recyclable.

Instead of only focusing on the off-the-road (OTR) sector where its ASW can be used with giant vehicles employed in such industries as mining, what if the product can be adapted for use by more regular over-the-road traffic? Think Volvo Group (NASDAQ Stockholm: VOLV B) or Daimler DDAIF trucks. Even on a Tesla Inc. TSLA or Ford Motor Co. F vehicle?

“ASW technology can be applied to all verticals where traditional rubber tires are used, and this market is immense,” GACW says. The company has already entered a project agreement with an unnamed global over-the-road rim manufacturer for ASW testing in commercial trucks and cars, it adds. 

Current Versus Future Focus?

The push for the ASW is all about safety, cost and the environment. 

Rubber tires, especially in the OTR sector, can be prone to possible explosion and have short lifetimes on such vehicles, making them a very expensive proposition. One such tire can cost up to $75,000 and lasts only 6 to 9 months on average, GACW says.

In addition, there is a poor record of recycling such tires with an estimated 81% of tires being disposed of on-site, contributing to up to 28% of the world’s microplastic waste, GACW says.

For now, the focus will remain on the OTR sector as the company seeks to ramp up production and have more testing in the field, with full commercialization predicted for 2023. That is a $30 billion market on its own, and the company says it has no direct competitors other than the manufacturers of rubber tires such as Bridgestone Corp. BRDCY and Michelin MGDDY.

It does have several competitors in the mid-sized non-pneumatic market, including Michelin and Bridgestone. The over-the-road market would be largely uncharted territory.

Check out the current crowdfunding initiative with StartEngine to get involved. 

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Image provided by GACW