GM, Michelin to test airless tire prototype

[squiggy]

GM, Michelin to test airless tire prototype

June 5, 2019
General Motors and Michelin said Tuesday that they will test an airless tire prototype called the Uptis.

Uptis, which stands for "unique puncture-proof tire system," is designed to be puncture-proof, to last longer than a conventional tire, and to require less energy to produce. The airless tire made its debut at the Movin' On Summit, which focuses on sustainable mobility.

On the safety front, the tire eliminates the risk of a flat or sudden blowout. Since there's no need to inflate the Uptis tire, there's no risk of premature wear to the tire from over or under inflation.




GM, Michelin Uptis airless tire prototype


Michelin said around 20 percent of tires are scrapped annually due to punctures and blowouts before they would otherwise need to be replaced. That equates to about 200 million tires per year or the weight of 200 Eiffel Towers.

While we've seen numerous airless tire prototypes come and go, GM says it is serious about Uptis. It intends to continue work with Michelin and start real-world tests of the tire using its Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car. Currently, the automaker aims to make the airless tires a reality on production cars by 2024.

 

[sunofwolf]

Cool that would make spike strips useless.

 

[webby]

They’ve been showing this tech off for so long, and they’re still saying yet another 5yrs away.

 

[ron v]

They said 5 years 5 years ago Turkish.

 

[ron v]

I don’t know why they would want to perfect this. Doesn’t this mean less sales in the long run? Like pharmaceutical companies being in the business of curing people.

 

[webby]

They’ll surely charge more if they last longer and clearly have benefits for nail holes or punctures in general.

 

[squiggy]

They’ll surely charge more if they last longer and clearly have benefits for nail holes or punctures in general.

Especially if it avoids criminal charges!

 

[bauer311]

I wonder how long it'll be before performance variants come around...[emoji848]

 

[Flightmaster127]

The real question here is how does one mount a tire like this?

 

[Nomar06]

How does it handle corners?

 

[bauer311]

Those are all good questions actually [emoji848]

 

[squiggy]

I am curious about the weight difference as well.

 

[Flightmaster127]

I wonder if they will add sidewall to the final version to keep debris out of the tire. Big enough rock, mud, or snow gets packed in there it could severely throw the wheel balance off.

 

[webby]

I don't see how they could sell it without the sides being covered. Enough snow pack in normal wheels is enough to make the car go crazy. I've seen the same being said for the skid steer application. Think of all of the mud/rock/ etc getting packed into those on a real job site. Yet I guess they sell them this way. You can buy these tires currently for skid steers from michelin and probably other brands.

 

[sunofwolf]

I bet these tire's are heavy and expensive

 

[ron v]

yea but skid steers get power washed a ton when on a dirty job. I'm sure they will offer some covers, maybe removable ones? or just cover them up completely.