South Korean car manufacturers Hyundai and Kia have come up with a new idea to make winter motoring safer by fitting wheels and tyres with integral snow chains. The companies call it “snow chain-integrated tyre technology” and it uses “shape memory alloy modules” that protrude past the tyres when a button is pressed and an electrical signal is received. During normal driving, the shape memory alloy located inside the wheel is compressed and does not contact the road surface. When the driver activates the function, an electric current is applied, causing the shape memory alloy to revert to its …