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Hybrid Tires and a Network of Nitrogen Services

On March 28, 2013, in Hybrid Tires, by allisonmreilly
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hybrid tiresTransportation accounts for almost 70% of  the fuel consumption in the United States. The vehicles we drive, whether for business or for personal use, represent the best potential for improving our energy efficiency. According to the Department of Energy, drivers spend 3.7 billion hours sitting in traffic every year, wasting over 2.3 billion gallons of fuel in the bumper-to-bumper mess and costing the economy $78 billion.

This compelling evidence has prompted NitroFleet99 to foster partnerships with the Clean Cities Coalition, the National Association of Fleet Administrators [NAFA], the Environmental Protection Agency, and the DOE in order to  recognize the need for better solutions for managed fleets. After all, there has to be a way to improve that, a way that’s more than carpooling, driving less, and purchasing brand new vehicles with improved gas mileage.

Is There a Solution?

Nitrogen tire inflation has been widely used for decades by the airlines, big industry and professional motor sports such as NASCAR. Since nitrogen is different from compressed air, – it’s use in tires has been evaluated independently for it’s effect on rubber. Tires companies such as Bridgestone, Goodyear, and Ford have concluded from their research that nitrogen permeates through a tire wall between three and four times more slowly than compressed air – which is actually 76% Nitrogen, 23% Oxygen [which contains moisture and is the enemy of
rubber] and 1% trace minerals.

The benefits that nitrogen tires offer: more evenly inflated tires that retain pressure longer, a better fuel economy by up to 6%, and increased life of the tire (whether new or used). A tire converted to nitrogen will last up to 30% longer, thereby reducing the environmental impact of the over 300 million worn tire casings that are disposed of in landfills and bodies of water around the
world every year.

What’s Nitrofleet99 Doing about This?

As part of the EPA’s Green Gas Station model for the future, NitroFleet99 is providing nitrogen systems to five model sites in California and Texas that feature LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] certified buildings and alternative fuels. GoNitroTire is working to create a network of Nitrogen service providers across the U.S. under the NitroFleet99 brand to provide a uniform nitrogen services network for both consumers and the fleet community. By 2015, there will be 59 metropolitan areas with populations greater than 5 million – up 50% from just 2001. In 2007, the world crossed a epochal threshold – for the first time in history the majority of the human population lives in cities, changing the way individuals and businesses travel and manage their tires. This will be done through hybrid tires and nitrogen tire inflation, and at a reasonable cost. A passenger vehicle will cost about $29.95 for all four tires to be converted to nitrogen in just five to 10 minutes time.

A Network of Nitrogen Services is Possible

The cities of Kansas City, Mo., Kirkwood Mo., and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation have already chosen nitrogen tire inflation and have already decided that it is a better alternative to air. It’s only a matter of time before others make that choice, decreasing pollution and our dependence on foreign oil while increase our energy security and our chances for a better energy future. President Obama, before his last inauguration, called for Americans to manage their tire pressure on their vehicles more carefully and to help ensure a better fuel economy. Will you listen?

The Clean Cities Coalition

On April 9, 2011, in Fuel Efficiency, Nitrogen Tire Inflation, by allisonmreilly
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clean cities coalitionConsisting of over 100 coalitions, the Clean Cities Coalition is a government-industry partnership designed to advance our country’s economic, environmental, and energy security by supporting local decisions to adopt practices that contribute to the reduction of petroleum consumption. The program’s 8,400-plus local stakeholders that have helped to reduce the use of petroleum, to add more than half a million alternative fuel vehicles on the road, and to encourage the construction of over 3,000 alternative refueling stations.

Since the inception of Clean Cities in 1993 by the Department of Energy, the program has reduced petroleum consumption by nearly three billion gallons! One way stakeholders can continue to contribute to the reduction is to utilize nitrogen in their tire inflation. Instead of spending time and money purchasing and developing new technology, why not just do something different with the old technology? If anything, it’s simply much more economical.

About 54 percent of Americans drive on under-inflated tires. An under-inflated tire can reduce fuel economy by five percent. This can be fixed with nitrogen, which provides a much more stable tire pressure for a much longer period of time. Nitrogen reduces the average rolling resistance of the tire, thereby improving fuel economy. Five percent may not seem like a lot, however, that five percent adds up to increased fuel and maintenance costs for the many company vehicles of which service and fleet managers are in charge. Besides improved fuel economy, here are a few other ways nitrogen can improve your fleet:

  • Improved Safety: Nitrogen enables more stable tire pressure for longer periods of time, thereby reducing the chances for a blowout.
  • Improved Tire Wear: By eliminating the moisture and oxygen through nitrogen tire inflation, the risk of oxidation of tire walls is significantly reduced, creating better wear characteristics.
  • Improved Tire Pressure Monitoring System Performance: By using nitrogen instead of air in your tires, you reduce “false positive” indications from your tire pressure monitoring system, thereby reducing unnecessary service calls.
  • Improved Rim Life: The moisture and oxygen contained in air accelerates rim rust, causing slow leaks in your tires. The dryness of nitrogen eliminates that condensation.

Whether or not you or your city is a part of the Clean Cities Coalition, it’s very easy for transportation industry professionals to contribute toward the cause. To learn more about how to get more nitrogen, and less air, into your tires, check out NitroFleet99.


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