Michelin Uptis - Airless Tyres
Have you ever suffered a tyre puncture? Well, Michelin have developed an airless tyre that could be here by 2024. The new airless tyre will eliminate flat tyres and punctures due to the tyre requiring no air. Michelin development the product called Uptis (Unique Puncture Proof Tire System) with the goal of going into production in 2024. The tyre is designed for passenger cars and small SUVs, the tyre is constructed via an aluminium wheel wrapped in composite material mixed with rubber and high strength resin embedded with fibreglass. Instead of air-filled tubes in traditional tyres, the airless tyre has a series of spokes that holds the weight of the car and provides the same handling performance of traditional ones.
Benefits
The new concept tyre has a number of benefits such as not having to worry about the correct tyre pressure in your tyre and it improves fuel economy. The tyre will last significantly longer as Michelin hopes to develop a new 3D printing system that can apply a new thread to an existing Uptis tyre, thereby making the new concept tyre more sustainable.