Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

The iFlex, an airless tire designed by Hankook, proves successful in initial tests

By

hankook airless tires will never go flat screen shot 2015 07 24 at 4 42 03 pm
Hankook iFlex
If checking your tire pressure feels like the bane of your existence, we have good news for you — South Korean company Hankook is on its way to developing airless tires that never go flat, and while they’re still not quite ready for the road, initial tests have proven very promising indeed. The non-pneumatic tire (NPT) Hankook iFlex, built entirely with eco-friendly materials, has successfully completed its ride and handling tests, and is inching closer and closer toward consumer vehicles.

Hankook has dedicated research to air pressure-independent tires since 2011, and in the last four years has made significant strides in turning this futuristic tire into a product that is widely accessible by drivers across the world. Relying on geometric shapes insteadof air to provide the bouncy, springy qualities that are normally a product of air pressure, this latest version of a Hankook tire, the iFlex, can be mounted onto any traditional rim. Previous models of the tire combined both the rim and the tire into a single unit, which meant that vehicles would have to be entirely re-outfitted to make use of Hankook’s offerings.

Recommended Videos

But now, the iFlex is ostensibly compatible with any current vehicle, making it that much easier to bring to market. In recent tests, the innovative company tested the newfangled tire in five categories: durability, hardness, stability, slalom (zigzag), and speed. And as the company proudly announced in a press release, “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.”

An extremely environmentally conscious company as well, Hankook took extra precautions to ensure that it was minimizing its carbon footprint, using an eco-friendly material that “significantly enhances the energy efficiency” and also “allows the iFlex to be recycled with greater ease.” Furthermore, Hankook noted, its “new tire construction techniques … simplify the manufacturing process from eight stages to just four,” thereby ensuring that Hankook is doing as little as possible to pollute the atmosphere.

“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,” said Seung-Hwa Suh, vice chairman and CEO of Hankook Tire in a press release. “Aiming to strengthen our technological leadership in the global tire market, we will continue to develop cutting edge eco-friendly and future-oriented tires.”

Topics
Lulu Chang
Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
The UK’s Wayve brings its AI automated driving software to U.S. shores
wayve ai automated driving us driver assist2 1920x1152 1

It might seem that the autonomous driving trend is moving at full speed and on its own accord, especially if you live in California.Wayve, a UK startup that has received over $1 billion in funding, is now joining the crowded party by launching on-road testing of its AI learning system on the streets of San Francisco and the Bay Area.The announcement comes just weeks after Tesla unveiled its Robotaxi at the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California. It was also in San Francisco that an accident last year forced General Motors’ robotaxi service Cruise to stop its operations. And it’s mostly in California that Waymo, the only functioning robotaxi service in the U.S., first deployed its fleet of self-driving cars. As part of its move, Wayve opened a new office in Silicon Valley to support its U.S. expansion and AI development. Similarly to Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) software, the company says it’s using AI to provide automakers with a full range of driver assistance and automation features.“We are now testing our AI software in real-world environments across two continents,” said Alex Kendall, Wayve co-founder and CEO.The company has already conducted tests on UK roads since 2018. It received a huge boost earlier this year when it raised over $1 billion in a move led by Softbank and joined by Microsoft and Nvidia. In August, Uber also said it would invest to help the development of Wayve’s technology.Just like Tesla’s FSD, Wayve’s software provides an advanced driver assistance system that still requires driver supervision.Before driverless vehicles can legally hit the road, they must first pass strict safety tests.So far, Waymo’s technology, which relies on pre-mapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-light radar), is the only of its kind to have received the nod from U.S. regulators.

Read more
Pirelli’s new ‘Cyber Tyre’ could be the next traction control
Red Pagani Utopia Roadster in a spotlight on a white background

If you’ve heard whispers about the “Pirelli Cyber Tyre,” or spotted the news about the Italian manufacturer’s work with Bosch, Pagani, and McLaren, then you may be wondering: What makes the new tire so clever? Smart tires as a concept go back a few years, and Pirelli has a habit of squeezing in tech wherever possible. So, what's different this time?

Well, plenty of drivers know what happens when you hit a patch of ice, or test your luck through a particularly bad downpour. Your vehicle loses grip and unless you have the skills needed to get it back on track, you’re probably going to wind up pitched into a ditch or headed sideways into a tree. Things like stability control and traction control help a lot, but they can’t do much when you do start hydroplaning.

Read more
Scout Motors creates connections with its new electric Terra truck and Traveler SUV
Scout Terra and Traveler driving onto the compass-face stage.

Scout Motors invited roughly 300 people to the hills of Franklin, Tennessee, to reveal the Scout Traveler SUV and Terra truck electric concept vehicles. The automaker brought in journalists such as myself, active lifestyle bloggers, YouTubers, automotive industry analysts, and enthusiasts and fans of the original International Harvester Scout.

Scout Motors calls the new, rugged vehicle the Connection Machine. The reveal event aimed to establish a solid connection between the concept EVs and the attendees. The automaker also used the occasion to announce the immediate ability to reserve a Scout vehicle with a $100 fully refundable deposit.
The Scout legend

Read more