Goodyear Made Spherical Tires For Citroen's Urban Collectif Concept

Goodyear is known for providing tires for many production, concept, and race models, but this could be the craziest tire from the company we’ve seen so far. What you see in the gallery below is the ultra-futuristic Citroen Urban Collectif concept, a joint project between the French automaker, Accor, and JCDecaux, which rides on special spheric tires on all four corners. Yes, you read that right.

It is a little difficult for us to call this a car, and we prefer Citroen’s description, which is “a revolutionary mobility concept.” This concept rides on the so-called Citroen Skate platform, which is designed to accommodate an electric powertrain and autonomous functions. It takes the shape of a flat, skateboard-like vehicle with self-driving capabilities and a pretty weird design.

Gallery: Citroen Urban Collectif

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Goodyear contributed to the project with the Eagle 360 wheels, which were made especially for this concept. These spherical tires feature the Goodyear wingfoot and logo, and incorporate small electric motors, giving the robot concept 360-degree freedom of movement. The creators compare the way the concept moves to a computer mouse.

“At Citroen, we examine medium and long-term trends to anticipate consumer expectations and needs,” Vincent Cobée, Citroen General Manager, comments. “We believe that this new concept can redefine the framework of urban mobility: shared, electric, and autonomous. With the solution we are presenting in partnership with Accor and JCDecaux, we are inventing autonomous mobility for all.” 

Thanks to its smart electric architecture, Citroen says, the concept should be able to operate almost continuously by charging its batteries automatically when necessary at dedicated charging stations. The top speed the concept can reach is just 15 miles per hour (25 kilometers per hour) for safety reasons. Depending on the area it is operating in, however, it can be programmed for lower speeds to ensure the safety of all users.