Goodyear, BASF help Citroen take sustainability ‘to next level’

Poissy, France – French car maker Citroen has unveiled a new fully electric concept car that takes sustainability “to a new level”, with the use of 100% recycled materials and end-of-life recyclability of parts.

Key features of the vehicle, called oli, include the wheels and tires, co-created by US tire maker Goodyear, according to a 29 Sept announcement by the French car maker.

The “ingenious and efficient” 20-inch wheel and tire combination brings together “a new hybrid wheel prototype design with a conceptual, sustainable and intelligent tire,” stated Citroen.

As full aluminium wheels are expensive and energy-intensive to produce and full steel wheels are heavy, the designers decided to blend the two.

“The resulting hybrid wheels are 15% lighter than the equivalent full steel wheel, contributing to an overall vehicle weight reduction of 6kg,” Citroen said.

For the tire, Citroen partnered with Goodyear to use the ‘Eagle GO’ concept, which said “combines sustainability with longevity and intelligent technology for monitoring the tire’s condition and health.”

The tire tread compound is made of “nearly all” sustainable or recycled materials, including sunflower oils and rice husk ash silica, as well as pine tree resins and full natural rubber instead of synthetic rubber.

The tire, said Citroen, can achieve a lifespan of up to 310,000 miles through the reuse of the sustainable carcass and the fact that the 11mm tread depth can be renewed twice during its lifetime.

The tire is also equipped with Goodyear SightLine technology, which includes a sensor that monitors a variety of tire health parameters constantly throughout its life.

Elsewhere, Citroen said it had reduced the number of components in the car to bring down the total weight of the vehicle, which will offer a blueprint for future electric models.

Instead of a full dashboard with multiple screens and hidden computers, oli features a single symmetrical ‘beam’ running across the width of the console and features the steering column and a smartphone dock.

Sitting behind and below the beam is the “sofa” made of BASF Elastollan materials.
The lightweight 100% recyclable 3D-printable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) storage shelf features flexible ‘mushrooms’ that keep objects like coffee cups or soda cans in place.

Furthermore, front seats attach to the floor through flexible, recyclable TPU isolation rings that absorb road vibrations offering Citroen’s acclaimed “progressive hydraulic cushions”.

Individual rear seats are made from similar materials and the backrests fold flat to extend the rear load bay floor.

In addition, roof-mounted circular TPU headrests float above each backrest and fold up into the roof when required.

The concept car also replaces hard-to-clean carpets with a single-piece, modular floor covering made in partnership with BASF from expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (E-TPU).

The foam, said Citroen, is “as elastic as rubber but lighter, extremely resilient and highly resistant to abrasion.”