Traction Summit emphasized sustainable mobility solutions for both tires and vehicles

This year’s Traction Summit in Charlotte, North Carolina, proved an attractive one for those who attended. The first session on Tire Industry Insights discussed Michelin’s ambition to reach net zero for scope 1 (direct) emissions as well as scope 2 emissions (associated with the production of energy consumed), and to produce tires made from completely recyclable and renewable sources by 2050. Continental’s ambition is to have 40% sustainable tire content by 2030 and 100% by 2050. A speaker from Discount Tires noted that 100,000 scrap tires are generated daily in the USA, and while EPR has not yet been fully embraced in the U.S., changes are coming soon.

Vehicles and tires

In the session OEM Perspective on Sustainability and Current Mobility Trends, Rivian shared a peek into Rivian’s carbon footprint strategy, with an interesting point that a car primarily showcases two brands: the auto brand and the tire brand; and noted a need for tires that contribute more to meeting auto makers’ sustainability goals. Honda shared its sustainability excellence framework including a look at its “Triple Zero” approach (carbon neutrality, clean energy, and resource circulation) and trends in supply chain traceability, battery passports, water conservation, and lifecycle assessment tracking.

In the third session on Regulatory Trends Impacting the Tire Industry, Smithers noted that 73% of global rubber and 74% of current carbon black go into tires. The California Energy Commission advised that California’s directive is to have zero carbon emissions by 2045. It also noted that a new version of the proposed minimum efficiency standards for tires will be released soon and that 28% of California’s CO2 emissions come from passenger and light truck tires. The Washington State Department of Commerce discussed the need for replacement and OEM tires to be fuel-efficient (low rolling resistance) tires. The Q&A session suggested NHTSA should develop a national solution versus 50 different state solutions.

Tire Recycling Foundation

In the fourth session on the Environmental Impact of End-of-Life Solutions, the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association and the Tire Industry Association discussed the work of the newly created Tire Recycling Foundation. The session noted that 71% of end-of-life tires in 2023 went to beneficial markets and that the Foundation has received grant money from the EPA to develop an Environmental Product Declaration for ground tire rubber. Hyundai presented an OEM case study on repurposing tires into sustainable plastics including Hyundai’s ambition for 20% of all of its plastic parts to be made with recycled plastics by 2030. The Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau provided an excellent overview of the sustainable revolution in retreading and its impact on fleets. Closing out this session was the California Safer Consumer Products program presenting a case study on the tire chemical 6PPD and its transformation product 6PPD-Q.

The final session on day two, Tire Performance and Sustainability, included a presentation by J.D. Power discussing EV tire performance and customer satisfaction, noting the top complaints relate to punctures/slow leaks and fast tire wear and the need for tire manufacturers and OEMs to work together. Michelin covered EVs and tire sustainability and focused on the tire ‘use phase’ which has the biggest environmental impact. The presentation cited the need to develop tires with low rolling resistance and high longevity. Chemicals manufacturer Kuraray discussed silane-modified liquid rubber and how it significantly improves wear resistance, including improvements to low rolling resistance without degrading wet grip.

True all-weather tire

Sumitomo described its ‘Active Tread’ technology concept that is independent of seasons and weather. While still under development, production will begin in October with the hope for a true all-weather tire in all markets over the next few years. The session ended with a presentation by Wavicle Data Solutions discussing leveraging AI to gain value in the tire industry including the trends of machine learning, computer vision, and generative AI, noting that bio-generative AI (i.e., brain implants) could be in place by 2040. The many concerns with AI were discussed including privacy, accuracy, copyright, data security, ethics, technical speed, and creative artistry impacts.

With a unique blend of speakers and attendees from throughout the full tire supply chain, including the world’s leading tire manufacturers, aftermarkets, and OEMs, the Traction Summit provided tremendous food for thought for speakers and attendees alike.