https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61644033
I think the idea of building a road wheel around a flexible mesh of plastic structures has been around for quite a while - apparently, some types have been in production for 15 years or more, although on farm equipment, not on cars. (And on moon rovers and suchlike, of course.) But even the manufacturers are refreshingly open about the shortcomings and challenges - more noise, more road vibration making it into the vehicle - and (disappointingly) more rolling resistance than a rubber tyre, which means you get fewer mpg out of it.
But what bothers me is that they're placing an awful lot of faith in those plastic meshes. If you look at the second image down (the white Tesla), you can see the mesh of the far wheel deforming under the stress of three tonnes of Tesla, and I do wonder how well they're going to take the punishment? I mean, after they've been kerbed, driven over big potholes, punished by the gorillas at Kwik Fit, and generally disrespected by rental drivers (who are one of the key customer sectors, apparently) ?
And then there's a higher price tag. And the wheels will still need to be re-shod at regular intervals like a rubber tyre. It seems like rather a lot of downsides for the sake of not getting punctures. Think I'll wait this one out.
BJ
