A new type of eco-friendly car tyre may be able to convert the static electricity between the tyre and the ground into useful energy that could be used to recharge the car’s battery.

Previous research has shown that friction between a standard car tyre and the road accounts for five to 30 per cent of a car’s fuel consumption. Now, Ning Wang at the University of Science and Technology Beijing and his colleagues have designed a new type of eco-friendly tyre that can recycle …