The SMART Tire Company, in partnership with NASA, is developing the first-ever consumer application of NASA's airless shape memory alloy (SMA) tyre technology, a cutting-edge, eco-friendly bicycle tyre called METL™. Originally invented by NASA for use on lunar and Mars rover missions, the SMA tyre is made from advanced, lightweight materials known as NiTinol+, creating a tyre that is elastic like rubber yet strong like titanium, exhibiting perfect shape memory without ever going flat.
Made in gold, silver and metallic blue, the SMART Tire Company’s METL™ bike tyre has a stunning, space-age metallic look and feel. “Cyclists will not be able to wait to get their hands on these cool-looking, space-age METL™ tyres that don’t go flat,” says Earl Cole, former Survivor champion and CEO of The SMART Tire Company. “The unique combination of these advanced materials, coupled with a next-generation, eco-friendly design make for a revolutionary product.”
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The SMART Tire Company was founded in 2020 by Cole and blockchain engineer, Brian Yennie. Together with former NASA engineering intern and cycling enthusiast, Calvin Young, the SMART team has consulted with NASA Glenn Research Center inventors Dr. Santo Padula and Colin Creager to bring the power of shape memory alloy tyre technology to the general public. Thanks to their ability to undergo phase transitions at the molecular level under strain, SMAs are unlike any other material, exhibiting thirty times the recoverable strain of ordinary steel. What’s more, SMART’s METL™ tyres are eco-friendly, utilizing long-lasting materials that reduce rubber waste. SMART’s advanced research will establish METL™ tyres as the premier high-tech component for the modern cyclist across road, gravel, mountain and e-bike applications.
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“Shape memory alloys look extremely promising in revolutionizing the entire terrestrial tyre industry,” says Santo Padula, PhD, Materials Science Engineer at NASA, “and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
SMART has also partnered with leading micromobility provider, Spin, part of the Ford Motor Company, to develop SMA tyres for e-scooters, and is working with Felt Bicycles on research and development.
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The SMART Tire Company in partnership with NASA is taking on the $250B global tyre market in hopes of becoming the next great American tyre company, bringing smarter and cleaner solutions to the future of transportation. METL™ tyres will be available for the cycling community in early 2022 before reaching the auto industry and beyond. For more information and to learn more about how The SMART Tire Company is Reimagining the Wheel.
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