Testing of Goodyear’s intelligent tire tech is now well underway at the Mcity facility in Michigan in the USA. Erin Spring, director for new ventures at Goodyear Tire and Rubber, underlines some of the key goals of the project.
What will the first phase of testing at Mcity involve?
Goodyear will conduct testing at the Mcity facility with electric and autonomous vehicles, further developing its intelligent tires and the application of sensors, and extending its role in managing the connection of tires to the road, to vehicles and, ultimately, to consumers.
Thus so far, our work at Mcity has been preliminary, but we expect to conduct testing of electric and autonomous vehicles at the facility over the next several weeks, including trying out some advanced technology products and systems.
Why did you choose this location?
Mcity is a purpose-built proving ground for testing connected and autonomous vehicles and technologies in simulated urban and suburban driving environments.
With about 16 acres of roads and traffic infrastructure, Mcity is recognized as one of the leading connected and automated test facilities in the world. It combines early-stage research; testing in the state-of-the-art, real-world environment of the Mcity test facility; and on-road vehicle deployments to further prove new technologies.
Goodyear is the only tire company participating in research at the test facility. We are joining nearly 60 other companies working with Mcity, including automotive manufacturers and suppliers, chip and hardware makers, insurance providers, and companies engaged in such technologies as advanced modeling, big data acquisition and intelligent transportation systems.
With Goodyear’s Innovation Center and Innovation Lab in Akron, Ohio, advanced technology centers such as Detroit and Ann Arbor in Michigan, and Pittsburgh to the east, are in close proximity for both testing and consulting with other high-tech groups that are also working on the future of mobility.
The same can be said for Goodyear’s innovation labs in Silicon Valley (California) and Luxembourg (Europe), where we can work with key technology leaders, along with our development center in China.
What are your goals for the project?
To generate mobility solutions involving tires – and even beyond tires – we are actively working with key players to shape the future for autonomous vehicles and ridesharing fleets, and the activity at Mcity will help get us there even faster.
Just as our traditional tire testing that occurs at other tracks and testing facilities around the world – some Goodyear-owned and others used via partners – we will use the Mcity facility to further advance our future development of mobility solutions for tomorrow and many years from now.
