Toronto, Ontario — Tire executives go deep on “energy harvesting” for AVs, General Motors is awaiting approval to deploy its Origin AVs in the U.S. and a Tesla colouring book lets slip an exciting detail about the Cybertruck.
Road resources
Goodyear Tires CTO Chris Helsel told the Wall Street Journal in a recent interview that the prolific tire manufacturer is working to crack the code on real-time “energy harvesting” for autonomous vehicles running on its wheels.
The company’s tires already contain sensors that track wear and tear, but not in real-time and not yet in a way that could improve self-driving performance.
According to Helsel and his counterpart at Bridgestone, Hans Dorfi, the ultimate goal is to harness the energy of tire vibrations in a way that informs the vehicle of road conditions, and ideally enable real-time adjustments to factors like grip.
Helsel mentioned later in the interview that, while many AV trials today are held in warm, dry climates like California and Nevada, soon these self-driving vehicles will be more prevalent in colder, wetter climates and smart tires will be all the more important.
New origins
General Motors is currently on standby, waiting for a decision from the U.S. government on whether or not its February 2022 petition to deploy self-driving vehicles will be approved.
The automaker’s petition seeks to deploy vehicles annually without steering wheels, mirrors, turn signals or windshield wipers, building on its pre-existing fleet of AV-equipped Chevrolet Bolts that operate in the San Francisco area.
Cruise, GM’s AV division, is hoping to deploy its Origin vehicle, which has subway-like doors and no steering wheel.
National Highway Traffic Safety acting Administrator Ann Carlson said the agency will issue a decision “in the coming weeks.”
Outside the lines
Tesla’s long-awaited Cybertruck may be capable of vehicle-to-vehicle charging, according to a hot leak found in a children’s colouring book, of all things.
A customer at a Tesla service centre in Michigan tweeted a photo Thursday of a colouring book in the centre’s lobby.
The page containing a graffiti-style Cybertruck logo also came with a line of text that really tests the limits of what a child would consider a “fun fact”.
The caption read, “Cybertruck has enough battery power to charge a Tesla.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk did not confirm or deny whether his company’s colouring books constitute official production plans, however, he did say in a tweet from 2021 that the Cybertruck would be capable of powering a tiny home.
