Goodyear Shows Concept Tire That Generates Electricity From Motion

It's common for automakers to preview new styling or technology elements with concept cars, but now tire companies are doing the same with their wares.

Concept tires may not have the stage presence of concept cars, but they can show ways in which tires could potentially evolve into more than just hunks of rubber.

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At the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Goodyear unveiled a pair of new concept tires--both of which should be of particular interest to drivers of green cars.

The first concept features the innocuous-sounding name BHO3, and the more interesting ability to generate electricity.

Goodyear says the BHO3 can harness heat created by flexing under normal driving conditions, increasing the efficiency of electrified vehicles.

The obvious benefit here would be providing an additional source of electricity, almost like the way regenerative braking is currently used in electric cars and hybrids.

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The second Goodyear concept tire is called the Triple Tube, after the three internal tubes that allow it to change shape depending on conditions.