Airless tires aren’t new — you can thank the likes of Michelin for that — but that hasn’t stopped Hankook from exploring what’s possible when it comes to reinventing the wheel with its new i-Flex tire.
i-Flex was debuted at CES 2022 on a conceptual Hyundai plug and drive model, but it’s the tires themselves that have garnered all the attention. If you suffer from trypophobia, look away, as the i-Flex presents a cylindrical array of biometric-looking holes that link together to provide structure to the exterior tire wall, which measures 10″ in size with a 400mm diameter and 105mm width, made for the aforementioned concept vehicle.
The airless tire is the perfect technological advancement as the automotive industry continues to go autonomous — it cannot be punctured, and it requires less maintenance, making it perfect for self-driving cars. The cellular structure, similar to that of a living organism’s DNA, packs better shock absorption than a regular tire while also offering high levels of stability.
Take a look at the Hankook i-Flex tire above, and sound off below on whether you think something like this should come to the mass market in the near future.
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