No More Flats as Michelin Futuristic Airless Tires Hit the Road in 2024
The future is here! How would you have reacted if someone told you a decade ago that cars could move without the traditional air-pressured tires? Call him delusional, I guess. Well, the French Company, Michelin isn’t delusional at all. The company’s vision has always been to create a world where flats and spare tires would be extinct. And from the look of things, we can say unabashedly that that dream is coming to fruition soon.
Michelin announced at the just-concluded Movin’On Summit in Montreal that it is set to roll out a number of futurist airless tires as early as 2024.
The Michelin airless tires are an upgrade to its Tweel airless tires launched in 2005. Taking all the drawbacks of the traditional pneumatic tire into consideration, Michelin designed the tires to stand the test of time by running on threads, instead of air. With air out of the equation, flats and spare tires are expected to be a thing of the past come 2024.
In contrast with conventional tires which consist of a wheel attached to a tough plastic bladder filled with compressed air, Michelin tires, dubbed Unique Puncture-proof Tire System (Uptis), are designed with flexible polyurethane spokes tightly attached to a rigid compartment of deformable plastic threads by a shear beam.
These futuristic tires perform the function of a wheel and a tire, hence the term Tweel. Compared to traditional tires, these tires do not rely on air to work. Neither are they deterred by punctures or heavy compact. They are designed in such a way that an impact only deforms the tweel for a sec and it is back up like nothing happened.
The futuristic tweel is also made to overcome the impact of nails and other sharp objects. Your car will go on smoothly even with a nail stuck to the tweel. It is incredible!
The wait will be over soon. In fact, Michelin plan on testing the new airless tires on a couple of vehicles including the golf carts and skid steer. We also expect to see a test run with Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles later in the year.
Pros and Cons of Michelin Airless Tires
It is crucial to state that these futuristic tires by Michelin possess a plethora of benefits as well as a few drawbacks too. In this section, we took a close look at the potential pros and cons of Uptis. Let’s dig in!
Pros
For starters, the inception of Uptis means the end of flats. A ton of accidents today are attributed to the dangerous effect of having a flat while driving at high speed. These accidents and deaths will be history with the launch of airless tires, as the tires cannot be punctured or deflated.
Uptis has also been touted for having a better braking and handling system compared to conventional tires. This is expected to significantly increase the performance of consumer vehicles.
Due to its ability to withstand virtually any impact, these futuristic tires are proposed to live up to thrice the useful life of conventional pneumatic tires. Even better, the deformable threads are replaceable when worn out.
With replaceable spoke and a longer life cycle, these tires are indeed eco-friendly as they put an end to the millions of tires being scrapped yearly. Not only will we have less waste on our hands, our raw materials and energy are also preserved as fewer tires will be produced.
Last on the list, Michelin airless tires are very cost-effective. True, they are proposed to cost higher than our traditional tires, however, they take away the cost of refilling and buying spare tires or replacing worn out tires.
Cons
A prominent drawback in Uptis is the noise and vibration at high speed. Although Michelin has done a lot of upgrades to get here, there is still the issue of noise and vibration at high speed. This is why tweel is best for agricultural and construction vehicles at the moment. We hope to see better improvement come 2024
Another critical drawback is the speed level. Michelin airless tires are built for 50 mph max.
Conclusion
The future is only a pebble throw away. Get ready to start cruising the town with these futuristic wheel!
