Business View Civil and Municipal | May 2021

77 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MAY 2021 magine summoning an autonomous “robo taxi” to transport you to a meeting in the city. The autonomous vehicle (AV) finds the optimum route and speed because it’s connected to a GPS network, and all the other AVs on the road. Inside, it provides you with comfortable workspace featuring a large computer screen, fills you in on the day’s agenda, and even makes shopping/dining suggestions. Today’s cars have 20 computers or more constantly analyzing key operating factors. In the future, this packaging of the vehicle intelligence will continue to assist the vehicle’s efficiency, safety and increase our mobility. Tires are also evolving as rapidly as the vehicles themselves. Whether it’s an EV or an AV, tires of the future will be “intelligent” and adaptable. The Future is Now in Chester County The future is unfolding today in Chester County, SC, where a 1.7 million-square-foot Giti plant is manufacturing some “American Engineered” and all “American Made” passenger and light truck tires, including the Giti, GT Radial and Dextero brands. The current site is envisioned as an integrated technology and manufacturing campus, with the manufacturing of passenger, light truck and medium truck tires, R&D and the testing center all in one location, and where the industry’s best minds, like polymer experts, engineers in civil, chemical, mechanical and electrical fields collaborate to create the tires of the future. Many people probably envision tire production as pouring a batch of rubber into a mold to create a “black donut.” The truth, however, is that tires are modern marvels of chemistry, material science, engineering, and technology. After all, tires are the only component which actually connect the vehicle to the road and move it! Giti Tire has scientists and engineers collaborating at R&D centers and proving grounds on three continents. They are developing new polymers and tire compounds that continually push the boundaries for tread wear and rolling resistance, using sophisticated computer modeling aided by advanced software and artificial intelligence. I The Future of Tire Technology is in South Carolina Today. “ ”