Autosock: Already registered on Swiss roads 22 years after invention
8.12.2020
Translation: machine translated
An alternative to snow chains has been under development in Norway for over 20 years. The socks for the tyres are now also approved in Switzerland.
It's snowing, it's snowing... and drivers spontaneously lose the ability to control their vehicles. But it's not even hard this week. The snow has melted by 9 a.m. and the only thing left on the roadside is wet slush. At least in the hip cities.
But above the grey cloud cover, the sky is blue and the slopes are white. The roads too. That's why snow chains are used there. Heavy, jingling and with no alternative.
Until now.
On 20 October 2020, the Dynamic Test Center in the canton of Bern released a fabric cover called Autosock for Swiss roads. The company carried out the test on behalf of the Federal Roads Office (Astra).
The sock for the tyre
Autosock works more or less like a snow chain. You put the textile cover over the tyre, drive forwards or backwards half a turn of the wheel, stop the sock and snow is no longer a problem.
It's actually quite simple, but with the approval of Autosock, only the third type of snow driving aid is authorised on Swiss roads. There are the standard snow chains. Then there is the rubber alternative from Michelin called Easy Grip. And now also Autosock.
This all sounds new and cool, but it's not. The only new thing is that the licence has been granted for Swiss roads. Autosock itself has been on the market since 1998, developing, researching and selling. Even earlier, in 1996, it was the Norwegian Bård Løtveit who invented the first prototype of the Autosock. He then brought experts on board. Dag Anders Moldestad, who had already advised the Norwegian Olympic Committee on slip resistance and slipperiness, took on the material. What slips the least and is still light? The design comes from Einar Hareide, designer at Hareide Design and former designer at the now defunct car brand Saab, designed the tyre sock so strikingly and minimalistically artistic that it was included in the permanent exhibition of the Museum of Modern Art in New York https://www.moma.org/collection/works/93961.
Better for the roads
When Astra tests something or awards the contract, it doesn't just test the grip of the snow chain or its alternative. "The products tested must be able to start off, brake and provide lateral guidance on snow and ice. In addition, they must not cause excessive damage to the road," writes the TCS in a media release.
The TCS also provides some important tips on how to use snow chains:
- If you disregard the "snow chains compulsory" sign, you endanger other road users and risk a fine.
- Snow chains or other anti-skid devices may only be used with winter tyres
- Snow chains or other anti-skid devices should be attached to the drive axle or where specified by the manufacturer in the vehicle operating instructions
- Four chains are optimal for four-wheel drive
- When purchasing snow chains and other anti-skid devices, the buyer should ask for a test document or a certificate of conformity if this is not included with the product
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
E-mobility
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