Michelin and General Motors are currently working on a prototype for an airless tyre.
The two companies are working on finding a solution to the menace of flat tire and tyre blowouts that are every driver’s nightmare.
The two companies announced this in Montreal at an event tagged UPTIS, an acronym for Unique Puncture-Proof Tyre System.
Although this type of tyre has been in existence since 2005 when Michelin started producing them, this is the first time the companies are working towards making it available for production cars.
According to Michelin, the tyre is made of resin-embedded fiberglass and composite rubber. This enhances the tyre’s durability and makes it superior to a regular tyre.
The companies believe that this innovation will reduce the risk of blow-outs and punctures as well as the problem of wear that are mostly triggered by over-inflation or under-inflation.
The high reduction in punctures and blow-outs will lead to a significant reduction in the number of tyres that are used globally.
Thus, the raw materials for tyre production can thus be saved and used for another purpose. No longer will there be any need to scrap over 200 million tyres annually due to damage if the stats from Michelin are something to go by.
It is estimated that the airless tyres will be available for production cars from 2024 henceforth.
Bridgestone-Firestone is also working on a similar project to make this tyre model available to the public in abundance.
