Arizona-based startup, GACW, has reinvented the wheel. They developed a new type of wheel that ditches the need for polluting rubber tires in order to save the environment.
Companies are slow to adopt new tire inventions, even if it could save them time and money.
The Air Suspension Wheel is a mechanical wheel that can be recycled to minimize environmental waste. The design is environmentally friendly, and the ASW has the same lifespan as the vehicle it’s mounted on.
GACW’s new product, the ASW tire, which is rubber like an OTR tire but unlike OTR tires that wear down after 6-9 months of use, lasts as long as the vehicle itself.
The Asynchronous Synchronous Wound also has benefits for cars. Electrical cars can have a range extender of up to 30% and combustion engines can run more efficiently.
Rubber OTR tires are hazardous because of their explosions. As a solution, ASW has created rubber tires that decrease the chance of explosion.
Rubber tires are not very environmentally friendly to produce and therefore should be recycled. A recent study found tires account for at least 10% of microplastics in the world’s oceans.
How to ramp things up
GACW is initially targeting mining vehicles and mining sites, which can come up to making a lot of money in revenue. The company will also branch out into the tire market as well, but their focus in the near future will be on mining.
No other company offers OTR products as good as theirs.
All rubber tire vehicles could potentially use this technology in the future.
The company has raised $3 million, 4 patents and have 13 others pending. Currently, the company is testing out its ASW products with different mining companies for 6-12 months before ramping up production in 2022 with full commercialization expected in 2023.
The company reported plans to expand distribution with the hope that they will “take the industry by storm”.
With governments increasing pressure on tire producers, this is the time for GACW’s products to be adopted by industry. Manufacturing companies like Caterpillar, Hitachi and Volvo have likely already approached GACW as potential partners or customers.
“Our Air Suspension Wheels are an effective and viable option to rubber tires,” it said. “They are up to 60% more cost-efficient, safer and better for the environment than rubber tires.”