The use of air-free tires is becoming more and more extensive. Electric vehicles, bicycles, scooters, balance cars, etc. will use air-free tires. As for the advantages of air-free tires, it is obvious, such as wear resistance, run-flat, safety, maintenance-free and so on. So, what are the fatal drawbacks of airless tires? Below, let me share:
1. High cost.
The materials used in air-free tires are different from ordinary tires. Air-free tires need to rely on their own materials and structures to bear weight and withstand a certain amount of cushioning. Therefore, they have relatively high requirements on materials and structures. The cost of good raw materials is higher than that of ordinary tires, and product development and testing require a lot of investment, so the overall cost is higher than that of ordinary tires. The market price of non-pneumatic tires is higher than that of ordinary pneumatic tires.
2. At present, it cannot be used for high-speed cars.
At present, most of the air-free tires are generally used on low-speed vehicles, such as bicycles, electric vehicles, scooters, balance vehicles, etc., and the speed needs to be controlled below 60KM/H. For cars that can drive up to 120KM/H, there is no good practical application for the current technology.
Nonetheless, air-free tires have been well used in bicycles, scooters, and electric vehicles, and are far superior to pneumatic tires in terms of safety.