Mercedes-Benz patents water-cooled tyre system
German car maker Mercedes-Benz has submitted an interesting patent application to the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO), that details a water-cooled tyre system.
The patent, which is dated June 22, 2016, is described as a “vehicle with [a] reservoir for storing fluid to be applied to a tyre”.
In the application, Mercedes-Benz’s parent company, Daimler AG, says that the system can be used to preserve the condition and performance of the vehicle’s tyres in extreme weather conditions - hot and cold.
According to the company: “extreme temperature conditions, in particular high ambient temperatures, can [be] a threat to the performance of the tyres”.
Temperature sensors in each tyre would monitor the temperature of each tyre, and once the temperature reaches a certain threshold, the system would be engaged to keep the tyres at optimum temperature.
To prevent the tyres from overheating or even bursting in hot conditions, the system sprays cool water to the tyre to bring the temperature down to reduce tyre wear and prevent blowouts.
Likewise in very cold conditions, the system heats water in a reservoir in the engine bay that sprays warm water on the tyres to bring them back to optimum temperature to produce more grip - for example; in sub-zero climates.
The system’s reservoirs wouldn’t rely on being constantly filled up, either. Mercedes-Benz says in the patent document that the tyre temperature control technology would recover water from rain, melting snow and even car washes.
Don’t expect to see this system on a Mercedes-Benz model anytime soon, however, as many patents never make it to production.
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