A group of British students has won the James Dyson Award, an English prize for innovative ideas, for an invention that aims to combat environmental pollution from tire wear. According to ‘The Tire Collective’, as the students call themselves, finding a solution to this problem is only becoming more important with the advent of more and more electric vehicles.
Small particles of rubber are released when tires wear out. According to the students, this aspect of the total environmental impact of cars is underexposed, especially because the particles are microscopic and largely invisible. They end up in the air and in the environment and that is harmful to health. The students have devised a system that is attached to the bottom of the belt and captures the particles. With the help of the static charge of the particles and the aerodynamics of the rotating wheel, 60 percent of the repelled rubber can be collected, according to the collective.
According to the students, it is precisely because of the increase in the number of electric vehicles that it is becoming increasingly important to draw attention to this problem. Electric cars are generally heavier, which means that the impact of tire wear on the environment is expected to increase more strongly. The students’ invention is currently still in the conceptual phase, but the bright minds want to start testing on public roads soon. They also say they are in talks with a car manufacturer and two major tire manufacturers. It remains to be seen whether the idea will actually be applied in the future.