2020 Tire Society meeting goes virtual, theme: intelligent transportation

The 39th Tire Society Conference on tyre science and technology, which runs from 28 September to 2 October, will be held entirely
virtually for the first time this year, due to the Covid pandemic. However, it will still feature 27 original works of tyre technology presented by the authors and a special topic paper on the 40+ year history of the Tire Society as well as a keynote address, plenary address, invited lecture and panel discussion.

While the conference has moved online, presenters will still be answering questions live. Owing to the fact that the event has moved online, this year’s conference marks the first time the Tire Society has been planned to be held over five days (28 September to 2 October in the morning hours
Eastern Time, USA) in order to facilitate global attendance. As s non-profit, the Tire Society is passing on the saving created by the virtual conference format via lower registration fees that are barely one third the usual cost.

This year’s theme is “Intelligent Transportation”, and, as such, it will be kicked off by a Keynote address by Chris Helsel, Senior VP & CTO of Goodyear, entitled “Intelligent Transportation – Smart Mobility Solutions from the Tire Industry”. The importance of the topic is that tyre manufacturers must embrace changing consumer preference and society’s digital transformation as they consider the current and future mobility ecosystem. With the shift from tyres having a “physical footprint” to also adding a “digital footprint” that can share operational data with
the vehicle, users and other systems, new opportunities exist through the tyre to drive intelligent and sustainable transportation.

The Conference will also be informed by a plenary lecture by Dr. Giorigio Rizzoni, the Ford Motor Company Chair in ElectroMechanical Systems at the Ohio State University. Dr. Rizzoni chairs the University Center for Automotive Research (CAR), with his research activities related to modelling, control and diagnosis of advanced propulsion systems, vehicle fault diagnosis and prognosis, electrified powertrains and energy storage systems, vehicle safety and intelligence, and sustainable mobility. This is followed by Invited Lecture by Ross Tessien, Principal at Electricwaze LLC and a noted technical writer as Mechanical Engineer with 43 patents, who publishes the Seeking Alpha blog for investors, focusing on topics
such as Electric Vehicles. Rounding out the week will be a live panel discussion.