Yokohama Tire Corp.’s eco-tire technology is now on display at the Museum of Science, Boston. The two-year exhibit, which opened yesterday, showcases Yokohama’s BluEarth-1, its latest orange oil-infused passenger car tire, as well as the ultra-thin AirTex Advanced Liner, which helps consumers cut fuel costs by keeping their tires properly inflated, according to the tiremaker.
“Yokohama is the first – and only – tire manufacturer in the world to employ orange oil technology,” said Yasushi Tanaka, Yokohama president and CEO. “It’s very rewarding to see it highlighted in a leading educational and cultural institution like the Museum of Science, Boston. The exhibit validates our commitment to advanced technologies that will protect earth.”
The Museum, founded in 1830, attracts about 1.5 million visitors a year via its programs and 700 interactive exhibits.
The “Making a Greener Tire” interactive display, in the museum’s Transportation, Renewable Energy and Nanotechnology area, utilizes tactile, visual and video elements to explain BluEarth-1’s technology, which combines oil extracted from orange peels with fine silica and a blend polymer to form a nano-blend compound, Yokohama said. The technology, first used in Yokohama’s dB Super E-spec tire, eliminates a significant amount of the petroleum-based products normally used in tire manufacturing, the company added.
Besides orange oil, BluEarth-1 features the AirTex Advanced Liner designed to reduce the amount of air seeping from the tire, according to Yokohama.
BluEarth-1, available now in Japan and Europe, will launch in the U.S. in 2012 in three sizes for hybrids and other vehicles, including the Toyota Prius, Mini Cooper, and VW Golf and Jetta.
