Approximately 20% of tires produced annually are discarded prematurely due to punctures, loss of pressure and irregular wear caused by wrong tire pressure. This equates to 200 million tires thrown away and a weight that exceeds that of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 200 times. Every year.
Focused on this sustainability problem, Michelin presented in 2019 the UPTIS (Unique Puncture-Proof Tire System), a prototype that at that time already had a development period of around a decade and that had already generated the Tweel.
Now, and closer than ever to its public launch, the Michelin airless tire has been tested on a MINI Cooper SE, by the “hand” of YouTuber Mr. JWW, who recorded the entire experience on video:
As Cyrille Roget, director of technical and scientific communication at the Michelin group explains, the UPTIS integrates multiple spokes between the outer and the inner tread, made from rubber and a thin but very strong layer of fiberglass, for this tire. be able to support the weight of the car. To protect this invention, Michelin has registered 50 patents.
After a previous explanation, where Cyrille Roget also clarified that in UPTIS the rims and the tire are fully integrated, being assembled on the tire production line, Mr. JWW took the electric MINI on the road and felt firsthand what these were all about. revolutionary tires are able to offer.
For now, UPTIS is just a working prototype, but Michelin has already announced that it has plans to produce it and make it available to the public, something that could happen as early as 2024.