Improving on its already unique wheel technology, Air Suspension Wheel (ASW), Global Air Cylinder Wheels®️, (https://globalaircylinderwheels.com/), is continuing to develop the next generation of wheels for many industries, offering innovative environmental benefits, fuel saving, emission reduction, and EV battery extension.
READ ALSO: Reinventing the Wheel with Steel: Global Air Cylinder Wheels Expands on the Development of Its Disruptive Eco-Friendly Wheel That Replaces the Pollutive Rubber Tire at a Lower Cost of Ownership
Manufactured mostly out of steel, ASW is an eco-friendly, stronger, and safer alternative to the highly pollutive traditional rubber tire and is up to 60% more economical over the lifetime of the wheel.
The ASW combines an inner steel hub with an outer steel drum which is connected by eight or twelve nitrogen-filled air cylinders and up to six oil-filled dampers that provide suspension and damping. On the outer drum, individually bolt-on steel or polyurethane treads are fitted. These individual treads can be replaced without removing the wheel, a time-consuming process that takes up to eight hours with OTR rubber tires.
Think of it as the wheel of the future...available today.
The Phoenix-based engineering company's wheel technology has many intriguing benefits. Shedding rubber means no more overheating tires or dangerous explosions that can be associated with conventional tires. When rubber heats up, if the heat is not dissipated, it builds up, increasing the tire's pressure and becoming a troubling safety problem.
Then there is the environmental impact of ASW. Old rubber tires are frequently buried or burned, releasing harmful chemicals and heavy metals into groundwater and air. Tires also end up in landfills wasting space or filling up with water, creating a breeding ground for disease-carrying pests such as mosquitoes.
"Many industries operate under status quo, resistant to change," said Dr. Zoltan Kemeny, president and CEO of Global Air Cylinder Wheels. "Companies that are reluctant to innovate will not survive. Those companies that do adopt new technologies and embrace innovation will prosper. Tire use and its negative environmental impact will change inevitably. Governments are starting to mandate change on tire disposal and this is already accelerating our technology's adaptation into the market. We provide a breakthrough multi-vertical high-potential technology. For end-users, it solves a real problem. For investors, it gives them a unique opportunity to invest in an old market."
Notable features and benefits of the ASW include:
- Mechanical wheel design can be adjusted to the payload, speed, sideload, size, weight, and other requirements.
- No overheating.
- Safer -- can't explode.
- Less waste. Only the part that wears off will be replaced.
- More sustainable materials.
- Tire wear creates terrible fine dust while the treads of the ASW can be made with biodegradable materials.
- Fuel saving. Lower rolling resistance leads to less fuel which reduces toxic emission gases or extends greater battery range for EVs.
- Lifetime wheel - lasting approximately 10-15 years.
- Breaking energy gets stored in the cylinders and gets returned to kinetic energy.
- 100% recyclable.
The ASW technology has a strong patent portfolio with eight granted, and with 52 patents pending. The company has received multiple initial purchase orders and is expected to be fully commercialized within two years with rapid adoption into mining fleets.
Mining is an industry that uses and disposes of rubber tires at an alarming rate. Rubber tires are expensive and account for the mining industry's largest expense together with fuel and payroll. Rapid wear and tear caused by impacts, rock cuts, and extreme and uneven loading mean the lifespan of an expensive mining tire is short.
With more than 35,000 open-pit mines globally, the number of environmentally damaging tires disposed of each year is staggering. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, estimated that tires account for as much as 10% of overall microplastic waste in the world's oceans. A report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature raised that number to 28%.
The ASW is durable and designed to have the same lifespan as the vehicle itself, (approximately 10-15 years), meaning fewer replacement costs and less time spent swapping out damaged tires. The ASW can become part of the vehicle and has the potential to become a capital asset. Unlike rubber tires, the ASW can be leased, with a 15% residual value after 10 years of service. They can also be refurbished and leased again.
"We are planning to have a commercially ready product for the mining market in Q1 2023 where the need is most urgent," Kemeny said. "Then followed by over-the-road applications such as cars, buses, and trucks. We are also looking to start developing other verticals next year."
He added that the other verticals could include construction, bicycles, aircraft, military, and any other vehicle with wheels.
Encouraged by the results of its previous $3.3 million campaign, the company has relaunched its StartEngine campaign --- https://www.startengine.com/gacw -- to further evolve its ASW technology. The three-month StartEngine campaign, which ends in October, is already off to a fast start raising $238,000 in the first month. Overall, the company has raised more than $5 million from investors so far and the company's valuation has increased from $27 million to $40 million since May 2022.
"Large purchase orders are expected to create our revenue streams," Kemeny said.
He added that GACW orders will be for trucks and loader wheels. Loaders have four wheels and trucks have six, generating respective revenues of $600,000 per loader and $900,000 per truck on average. As a typical mine has 60 vehicles requiring 480 tires at $150,000 per wheel initial fleet orders could reach in excess of $72 million for a single mine.
Other forms of expected revenue for the company include:
● recurring revenue from tread replacement
● licensing and royalty agreements
● other applications such as cars, buses, trucks, military, bicycles, wheelchairs, and many
more
GACW will also launch upcoming operational tests with a drum crusher for three months starting this month on an open pit mine location in Chile, and with a CAT 994 front-end loader for three months starting October 2022 on an open pit mine location in Australia's Pilbara area.
"At this point, our plan is to expand our distribution network and really start taking the OTR industry by storm," Kemeny said. "GACW's focus is catering to the demand from miners seeking viable tire solutions, and it is a substantial market for us. However, the ASW technology can be applied to all verticals where traditional rubber tires are used, and this market is immense. Our wheels are gaining the traction we need to thrust us into the main market."
He added that the global OTR tire market is estimated to reach $30 billion in 2022. The overall global tire market is anticipated to reach $322 billion by 2022 with a projected CAGR of 8.4%.
GACW has also created an experienced board of directors and formed a first-class advisory board.
GACW's wheel technology has been tested in real-world conditions, and the company has been developing the ASW for OTR mining vehicles since 2016. The company's ASW was trialed at a gold mine site in South Africa in 2016, and just before Covid-19 hit, the latest version of the wheels was successfully tested in 2019 and 2020 at a gold mine in the U.S.
"Beyond these serious environmental and budget concerns, off-the-road mining tires represent a huge safety problem for maintenance crews due to potential explosions from overheating, improper inflation or installation, and lightning strikes. Mining companies are forced to use 'Band-Aid' solutions such as patch-up repairs, tire pressure monitoring, tire retreading, tire cooling systems, and tire rotation to extend the tire's useful life. One 13,000-pound OTR mining tire can cost over $75,000 and only lasts six to nine months. That is a large expense for a product that does not last," Kemeny explained.
It was while working in Germany with a large car manufacturer that Kemeny was inspired to create a new kind of wheel. He realized through his work that the physics behind the traditional rubber tire is far from ideal. He put down his first idea for the ASW on a napkin in June 2011. After a few years of "testing in the kitchen" and acquiring the first patent, the prototype for a mining vehicle was created in 2016.
His company has teamed up with experts in the field of suspension, steel manufacturing, cylinders, and treads, and features more than 200 years of combined engineering experience.
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