Every car has them and every driver needs them: tyres. But anyone who has ever bought car tires knows that there are immense differences. In 2023, however, the tires will change fundamentally. The wheel is reinvented.
For many decades, nothing fundamental has changed when it comes to car tires. The last fundamental change was more than 70 years ago. The pneumatic tire was reinvented as a tubeless tire and experienced a triumph in the 1950s . Today it is standard. But that is changing now. The tire manufacturer Michelin shows what the future of tires looks like. And the future begins as early as 2023.
NO MORE FLAT TIRES
Which driver does not know it: Time and again you have to check the tire pressure at the gas station . Because: Car tires are made of rubber and rubber is permeable to air. Over time, the air pressure drops and you have to go to the compressor to fill up with air. But with the new tires from Michelin, that will soon be history. With the Uptis, the tire manufacturer has presented an airless tire that will be fitted to the first vehicles later this year. Around 50 DHL delivery vehicles in Singapore will be equipped with the airless and puncture-proof car tires by the end of 2023.
According to Michelin , the flexible supporting structure makes the wheel robust and guarantees driving comfort and safety . Drivers therefore do not have to worry about the effects of road conditions on the tyres. “The Uptis is a groundbreaking tire innovation,” says Bruno De Feraudy , director of the Michelin Group’s OEM activities.
DURABILITY TRIPLED
Now one could assume that tire manufacturers have an interest in tires breaking in order to keep selling new tires. But now there are repair kits. If you run over a nail or ram a screw into your tire, you don’t need a new car tire right away. The slippers can be repaired in the workshop for significantly less money. Apparently Michelin, Goodyear and Co know that too.
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However, abrasion is also present on the new tires. So after some time a new sentence is due again. However: Michelin estimates that the new tires lasted up to three times as long as a conventional car tire. In addition, the tire manufacturer estimates, based on internal research, that Uptis airless technology could prevent the premature disposal of up to 200 million tires per year or two million tons of material worldwide. This material saving corresponds to the weight of about 200 Eiffel Towers.
