Airless tire prototype could be on commercial passenger cars by 2024
Peter Brown | June 06, 2019Automotive tire giant Michelin is developing a new airless tire prototype in a joint research agreement with General Motors in order to boost the safety of vehicles on the road.
The Uptis prototype would be tested and validated prior to commercial delivery of the tires, which would put them on passenger models as early as 2024. Later this year, the companies plan to initiate real-world testing of the airless tires on the Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle (EV) in Michigan.
The goal of the Uptis prototype is to eliminate the risk of flat tires and blowouts, providing an extra layer of safety for drivers of passenger vehicles. Michelin said the airless tires have near-zero levels of maintenance, improved efficiency from the lack of flat tires and environmental savings through reduced use of raw materials for replacement tire or spare tire production.
The Uptis prototype was unveiled two years ago under its Vision research and development strategy for sustainable mobility that includes innovations such as airless, connected, 3D-printed and 100% renewable or biosourced materials.
Michelin said the airless tires can work on all types of vehicles including autonomous, all-electric, shared service and other applications.
The architecture and composite materials of the airless tire eliminates the need for compressed air to support the vehicle’s load, Michelin said. About 200 million tires worldwide are scrapped every year due to punctures, damage from road hazards or improper air pressure. As a result, the airless tire could help the environment by eliminating the need to replace traditional tires.
I remember seeing this about 30 years ago. So this has been around for 20 or 30 years and they are just now making a prototype. Hardly something to pat them on the back about. I have also seen them on construction equipment recently.
In reply to #1
I remember seeing them way back also.
"About 200 million tires worldwide are scrapped every year due to punctures, damage from road hazards or improper air pressure. As a result, the airless tire could help the environment by eliminating the need to replace traditional tires."
Are they telling us, what we know not to be true, these tires will not need replacement during the vehicle lifetime? As worded it certainly sounds this way.
In reply to #3
Didn't you hear, it's actually special rubber that never wears down! I'm just kidding, it's called marketing my friend and people will blindly follow this cool new tech and end up paying hundreds more for something that lasts just about the same time. I always thought companies like this were filled with morons, then I thought, "hey if they can trick everyone into buying something like this and make loads of money off it, they are actually genius!"
CR4 ADMIN: Modified post: removed improper language
In reply to #4
After experiencing a defective Bridgstone tire blowout on Rt 75 in Florida, I think it would be worth a little bit more rather than see your mother and son airlifted to the hospital. Their tires had moisture at the steel belts when manufactured, causing the belts to rust inside the tire. Even if they last the same amount of time, it seams like a nice safety feature.
In reply to #5
I am just not convinced that these new airless tires can be made with no manufacturing defects and cannot also see blowouts, rips/tears, ect.
In reply to #3
Actually, I didn't get that impression at all. What they said is that tires that experience early-life failures due to improper pressure, road debris damage, or puncture... and end up in the landfill before all their tread is spent... will be effectively eliminated by the airless tire because it is not nearly as vulnerable to the three conditions mentioned. While a nasty enough road debris incident theoretically could cause a premature failure, the prospect of a puncture failure is no longer a concern, and inflation pressure... same story. If 200 million tires go to full tread wear life [instead of failing prematurely], that is a real win. No claims whatsoever were made about the tires never needing replacement. However, I am very curious about wear life. Will they be like today's tires? 60K on up?
Michelin has already tested these airless tires against law enforcement "stop sticks" with tremendous success. John Deere offers this design on Zero-Turn mowers. It's coming sooner than you think.
In reply to #7
That is the way i read it too, dont know if price will be comparable, but i am ready to try a set.
I use a liquid sealant within my tyres to avoid most of the issues, and regularly check the pressures, seems too many drivers are too lazy, going by the number of totally bald slick worn to the wires tyres some continue to drive on. And I'd rather the Police still have to option of using a stinger/stop-stick to deflate and slow/stop a criminal too, something the sealant I use doesn't stop working that these tyres would.
In reply to #9
Thank God that at least SOME tires get fully worn out. EVERY time a so-called "service writer" has recommended new tires, I have driven at least another 10,000 miles before the bars are showing. If we don't puncture our tires prematurely, we remove them with a ton of tread left. Neither situation is OK. Very few dealers have service writers who are truthful. It is a rarity, to be sure!
I have a hard time not imagining mud and ice/snow trying to set up themselves between the spokes. Well, I'm rather sure that could be a bad thing. I park with a tire or two during the day with wet mud deep enough to find its way between the spokes. After the mud freezes ... There may be answers to that or similar circumstances, which could be interesting to know.