Pirelli partners Georgia, USA based net-zero highway testbed developer The Ray

Italian tyre manufacturer will support 18-mile stretch of Interstate 85, a proving ground for technologies to transform transportation infrastructure

Pirelli North America has partnered Atlanta, Georgia based The Ray, a non-profit which has helped to develop a net-zero highway testbed. The 18-mile stretch of Interstate 85 in West Georgia is located near Pirelli’s US production facility in Rome, Georgia. Pirelli states the partnership “aims to advance research and solutions in areas such as technology for road safety, circular economy, EV charging infrastructure, renewable energy, and environmental and social impacts of tyres and roads.” Pirelli has joined The Ray’s advisory board and will contribute to its strategic thinking around roadways of the future. Projects include future rubber-modified asphalt projects and the use of tyre-derived aggregate for stormwater galleries. Pirelli is also joining “a multi-tiered partnership focused on tyres and the circular economy.” This intends to drive forward education, innovation, solutions development and sharing best practice.

“Being part of sustainability solutions that extend beyond just our product is an important part of our commitment to climate action,” says Maureen Kline, vice president, public affairs and sustainability, Pirelli North America. “We know that tyres are the one thing between the vehicle and the road. By working with The Ray, we can join forces to identify challenges, develop solutions and drive real change.”

Tyre design will have a key role in the future of mobility, and tyre manufacturers are setting increasingly ambitious goals around sustainability, such as big increases in the use of sustainable materials in tyre manufacturing and the reduction of the environmental impact of tyres, including end-of-life tyre and tyre and road wear particle mitigation strategies. The partnership with The Ray will also look at ways in which Pirelli could become “an even better steward of its products,” it states.

“Pirelli leads from Georgia, with an advanced manufacturing facility that was the first FSC-certified tyre plant in the world. Likewise, The Ray leads and scales net-zero transportation infrastructure from The Ray Highway in Georgia,” said Allie Kelly, executive director of The Ray. “The alignment between the organisations, focused on safety, circularity and innovation, will power the partnership to produce groundbreaking projects and research in the coming years, and the impact will benefit communities across the country.”

The Ray calls its “proving ground” a “living innovation lab” that aims to set new standards for the roadways of the future. Current projects include the use of highway rights-of-way for solar arrays, cloud-based data management for connected vehicle safety and efficiency, drones used as first responders, pollinator gardens for endangered species, and further deployment and impact of bioswales. The Ray defines net-zero in transportation as “Zero Deaths, Zero Waste, Zero Carbon and Zero Impact,” and facilitates the building and scaling of clean transportation and energy projects with transportation agencies, including Georgia and other state Departments of Transportation, tollway and turnpike agencies, regional collaboratives, and local governments.

“This partnership with Pirelli will bring The Ray one step closer to achieving the net-zero transportation goals,” said Kelly.