We are in the midst of a generational shift towards environmentally friendly vehicles, yet there are other innovations being perfected – including non-pneumatic, or airless, tires. Hankook Tire has finished putting its latest design, the iFlex tire, through a rigorous set of tests that have proved it a worthy contender for the future of eco transportation – and they expect to put them on the market very soon.

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The iFlex model is the fifth of Hankook’s airless tire models, and it may now be very close to production. The tests focused on five categories: durability, hardness, speed, slalom, and stability. Hankook proudly touts the tire’s ability to reach speeds of 130 km/h (or 81 mph) in its electric car speed test, a promising result for future consumer use.

[youtube =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeDinj8ajVE&w=537&h-302]

Related: Hankook’s revolutionary airless i-Flex tire is puncture-proof and 95% recyclable

Not only can the tires perform well, they are also produced using a material that is more easily recycled. And the steps in production were able to be halved – from eight steps to four – which means a smaller footprint for manufacturing. CEO and Vice Chairman Mr. Seung-Hwa Suh reports, “Aiming to strengthen our technological leadership in the global tire market, we will continue to develop cutting edge eco-friendly and future-oriented tires.” It seems Hankook is here to stay, while conventional rubber tires’ days are numbered.

+ Hankook Tire

Via Gizmag

Images via Hankook Tire