Save Our Air From Tyre Wear
We all know tyres wear down, but never stop to consider where they go.
Today, half a million tons of tyre particles are produced annually in Europe alone, from vehicles accelerating, braking and turning a corner. The particles become airborne affecting our lungs and more are swept into our waterways. In fact, tyre wear emissions account for up to half of PM 2.5 emission from road transport and are the second-largest microplastic pollutant in our ocean after single-use plastic.
An Electric Future
With the development of Electric vehicles (EV’s), tailpipe emissions are set to reduce but tyre wear is projected to increase due to the added battery weight and torque.
As we move towards an electric future, it is crucial to consider the implications of tyre wear, so we are not replacing one pollution source with another.
Future vehicle pollution
will not come from the
tailpipe, but from tyres.
The Tyre Collective
The Tyre Collective aims to mitigate tyre emissions by capturing them at the source to ensure clean air, safeguarding our environment and health.
We discovered that tyre particles coming off are charged from friction with the road. What started off with rubbing a balloon against a sweater, eventually led to our device that directs and collects charged particles with electrostatics. Our patent-pending technology currently captures 60% of all airborne particulates on our test rig.
Closing the Loop
Once collected, these fragments are processed and can be reused, creating a closed-loop system. Particles under 50 microns are small enough to be reused in new tyre production. Other creative applications include 3D printing, soundproofing, and inks and dyes.
Awareness & Action
Alongside our device, we have designed a two-fold strategy of Awareness and Action, where we are working with local governments to raise awareness on tyre wear emissions and developing relationships with public transport companies to test and pilot our device.
In our fight against air pollution, tyres have largely been ignored. Now, together, we can save our air from tyre wear!
Team
This is a complex issue and we cannot solve it alone. Our solution is a result of collaboration with experts from Aerodynamics, Material Science and Chemical Engineering, facilitated by design.
Our team’s strength lies in our diversity. We have backgrounds in design and engineering from places like Honeywell, Dyson, RCA and Imperial College. To fill the gaps, we have advisors from leading automotive R&D labs, material science and mentors in business and finance.