Hugo Richardson, Hanson Cheng, Siobhan Anderson & Deepak Mallya
www.thetyrecollective.com ︎︎︎
We all know tyres wear down, but never stop to consider where they go. Tyre wear is the dirty secret of the transport industry. Over 1 million tonnes are produced each year in Europe alone. It is the second largest source of micro plastic in our oceans, toxic to marine life, and a significant contributor to air PM pollution. It is in the air we breathe, the food we eat and there is nothing to stop it!
The Tyre Collective spearheads the capture and monitoring of tyre wear, accelerating the shift towards zero-emission mobility.
Fig. 2 The box on the left, roughly the size of a grapefruit, is how much the longest London bus route produces in just one day (336g).
5 years ago we came upon this problem by chance, while studying for a MSc & MA at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art. Rubbing a balloon against my jumper we watched in awe as tiny rubber particles danced on the table. It would form the foundation of our cleantech startup that has taken us around the world collaborating with industry leaders, informing policymakers and furthering scientific knowledge.
Fig. 3 Results from our early electrostatic experiments
As we adopt electric vehicles, exhaust emissions will drastically reduce, but tyre wear will increase from the added battery weight and torque.
Tyres wear down every time a vehicle accelerates, brakes or corners. We discovered that these particles are charged from friction with the road. Our patented technology uses electrostatics and airflow to selectively capture them in the wake of the wheel - a catalytic converter for tyres. Once captured they can be upcycled into industrial and consumer applications creating a closed-loop system.
My approach to problem solving is through experimentation, I iterate, fail fast and learn - never afraid to get my hands dirty. Every prototype shown here has been built by my hands to gather more data and paint a bigger picture of the road ahead. As CTO, I took a multi-phased approach to de-risk our project - combining analytical modelling (CFD, MATLAB) with in lab testing and on-vehicle driving. I sought expert advise from academia and industry, able to quickly decode complex theories into tangible and easily testable design features.
And the outcome? Following the Journey from concept to pre-product, we have developed the first fully integrated electrostatic tyre wear filter. Rigorously tested over 200,000 miles of on-road driving. Achieving 80% capture efficiency in-lab, 20% of airborne particles on-road, with up to 96% purity. Data captured on device is remotely published to our cloud platform to drive future development. Supported by a wider network of logistics, device cleaning and particle recovery.
We have built strong partnerships with industry. In 2023 we joined forces with American electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Rivian to test our next-generation tyre wear capturing device on two of Rivian’s EDVs. Over the 4-week period between October and November 2023, we drove almost 8000 miles – capturing tyre wear at the source – and gained valuable insights and data via our cloud platform.
Fig. 6 Device data is automatically published to our cloud platform to enable predictive maintenance and inform future development In 2024 we completed a pilot with HIVED, a zero emission delivery company based in London. The focust we to test the durability and reliability of our filter over 100,000 miles of driving.
“This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to not only provide the best customer experience possible, but to also provide one that minimises our impact on the planet. Through addressing this often-overlooked source of pollution, our work with The Tyre Collective demonstrates our commitment to sustainability, as well as our dedication to setting new standards within the logistics and transportation industry.”
-Gemma Neal, Head of Impact at HIVED
Fig. 7 Completing a 100,000 mile pilot with HIVED a zero emission delivery fleet in London.
Once we capture this pollution, what then? Sending it to landfill is not an option. Tyre wear is a form of micronised rubber that can be up-cycled into a variety of applications creating a closed loop system. We are exploring this under the mentorship of Sir Jony Ive, supported by his Terra Carta Design Lab.
Fig. 8 Meeting HRH King Charles and Sir Jony Ive as winners of the inaugural Terra Carta Design Prize
Fig. 9 Meet the team! Our strength lies in our diversity, with backgrounds in Architecture, Engineering, Interaction Design & Kinesiology
Awards
Terra Carta Design Lab ︎︎︎
UK National James Dyson Award 2020︎︎︎
Mayor of London’s Entrepreneur Competition 2020 Environment Award︎︎︎
Imperial College VCC Moonshot Prize 2020︎︎︎
Core77 Design Awards 2020, Commercial Equipment Student Runner Up︎︎︎
Climate Launchpad 2020, National Finalists