I believe that car friends have the experience of repairing tires, although the price of repairing tires once is not expensive, at most more than a dozen dollars. However, due to air leakage or tire pricking, there are many traffic safety accidents every year. Threaten the safety of the driver's life and property. Therefore, the development of tires that do not use pneumatic has become the focus of recent research and development by various companies.
In fact, we have seen some tire manufacturers develop tires that do not use inflation. It's just not commercialized on a large scale. Recently, Michelin said that "pneumatic tires are expected to be mass-produced in 3 to 5 years".
Can airless tires become a reality? Michelin and General Motors (GM) may come up with solutions in the near future.
Alexis Garcin, president of Michelin North America, said in a recent interview with CNN, "We are working with General Motors to develop the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV with airless tires. ”
The airless tires mentioned by Michelin are "Uptis", which debuted in 2019. Rubber separators fill the space where air should be, and each separator rigidly supports weight and absorbs shocks. Thanks to this, even if there is a puncture, the possibility of tire damage is quite reduced. Michelin has also applied for around 50 patents in the process.
The biggest advantage of Uptis is economical and environmentally friendly. According to Michelin, 200 million tires worldwide are scrapped ahead of schedule each year due to accidental breakage and irregular wear and tear. The company explained that by reducing the raw materials used to make spare tires, the materials used can be saved, which is conducive to environmental protection. In addition, since there is no air ingress, the time and resource waste required for preventive maintenance can be reduced.
CNN quoted leading experts as saying that airless tires "will be an opportunity to reinvent the wheel." Pneumatic tires have been around for more than 130 years.
In addition, he noted, ironically, Michelin is conducting such a study. Michelin was the first company in the world to invent pneumatic tires in the 1800s.
However, GM has no official position in this regard. GM recently mentioned plans to launch the next generation of electric vehicles at CES, but did not comment on plans to produce bolt EVs in the future.