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This Company is Reinventing the Wheel and Ditching the Rubber Tire

 Part 1. Vocabulary

Ditch (es)

/diCH/ v.

- get rid of or give up:

They developed a new type of wheel that ditches the need for pollutive rubber tires.

brainchild

/ˈbrānˌCHīld/ n.

- an idea or invention which is considered to be a particular person's creation:

The so-called Air Suspension Wheel (ASW) is the brainchild of serial inventor and structural dynamic engineer Dr. Zoltan Kemeny.

lifespan

/ˈlʌɪfspan/ n.

- he length of time for which a person or animal lives or a thing functions:

"the human lifespan"

pollute

/pəˈlo͞ot/ v.

- contaminate (water, air, or a place) with harmful or poisonous substances:

The explosion polluted the town with dioxin.

account

/əˈkount/ n.

- a report or description of an event or experience:

A detailed account of what has been achieved.

 

Part 2. Comprehension questions

What did Global Air Cylinder Wheels (GACW), an Arizona-based startup, has developed?

What is the patented Air Suspension Wheel (ASW)?

What is another key feature of the ASW?

What percentage do tires account for microplastic waste in the world’s ocean?

What do you think is the effect of governments globally putting increasing pressure on tire producers in terms of disposal?

 

Part 3. Article reading

Global Air Cylinder Wheels (GACW), an Arizona-based startup, has literally reinvented the wheel. They developed a new type of wheel that ditches the need for pollutive rubber tires.

The so-called Air Suspension Wheel (ASW) is the brainchild of serial inventor and structural dynamic engineer Dr. Zoltan Kemeny. The patented ASW is a mechanical wheel constructed mostly of steel with in-wheel pneumatic suspension through cylinders. It is both environmentally friendly as well as cost-efficient. The ASW is engineered to have the same lifespan as the vehicle it is mounted on. After that, unlike rubber tires, they can be reconditioned or can be completely recycled.

Another key feature of the ASW is the greatly reduced Rolling Resistance. This will make combustion engines more efficient and reduce emission gases. For electrical cars, like Tesla, this would mean that the driving range can be extended by up to 30% on the same battery, which is significant.

Rubber OTR tires are also a huge safety hazard with explosions being common. But with the ASW, overheated tires and explosions are a thing of the past.

Last but not least: OTR rubber tires are extremely pollutive. In the mining industry, most rubber tires are not recycled. At the end of their natural life, rubber OTR tires are typically burned or buried in the ground because recycling is complicated, dangerous, and expensive. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health estimated that tires account for as much as 10% of overall microplastic waste in the world’s oceans. A report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature raised that number to 28%.

ASWs on the other hand are 100% recyclable.

With governments globally putting increasing pressure on tire producers in terms of disposal, GACW said this is the time for its products to be adopted by the industry. Companies like Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), Hitachi (TYO: 6501), or Volvo (STO: VOLV-B), Komatsu (TYO: 6301) could end up as partners or clients in GACW’s future.

 

Source: Nick Thomas, October 13, 2021, https://news.yahoo.com/company-reinventing-wheel-ditching-rubber-131117780.html

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