The Future of Tyres, According to Michelin

The important subject of the role tyres will play in meeting the demands of ever more environmentally oriented hi-tech vehicles was addressed by Michelin at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. During a press conference on January 12, Dr. Patrick Oliva, the Michelin Group’s global vice president for Sustainable Development, shared the tyre major’s view of the tyre’s place within the future of automotive transportation.

Michelin believes, said Oliva in his opening comments, in a bright future for a “redesigned, technologically diversified automotive industry that is better tuned to the new societal driving aspirations and…the increasing demand for high tech tyres.” This future, he continued, involves taking on the lessons learned in the past decade and specifically in the previous 15 months; namely, that the industry must commit to a more sustainable form of road mobility that acknowledges the need to reduce CO2 emissions through increasing fuel efficiency; that new products and business models must be developed to reflect the requirements in global growth markets, specifically the highly urbanised areas of emerging countries; and that road safety must be improved through the design of tyres that further reduce stopping distance and improve handling.

“At its core, transportation is freedom and development. To fan the flames of freedom and development, we must offer mobility that is affordable, safe, reliable and sustainable,” Oliva continued. “The choices of yesterday are not the good choices of tomorrow. For countries with developing transportation systems, this means using diversified energy sources, more efficient power trains, and lighter, more compact vehicles. For countries with mature transportation systems it means….the same. It is in this arena that Michelin is actively working.”

About 45 per cent of the oil extracted worldwide today is used for road transport, Oliva commented. Up to a fifth of the fuel used by passenger cars is directly accounted for by tyre rolling resistance; for trucks this figure is 30 per cent or more. This means that about nine per cent of global oil consumption is directly related to tyre use. It is on this nine per cent – or eight million barrels of oil per day – that Michelin is focuses, Oliva added. “Through our technology and innovation, we know that we can make a meaningful difference for the environment and in the overall cost of transportation…at a very minimal investment.”

Michelin is currently working on its fifth generation of ‘green’ tyres, Oliva continued, noting that to-date the company has achieved a two per cent or greater improvement in fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions with each successive generation. By its own reckoning, Michelin has reduced global fuel consumption by more than 11 billion litres and avoided 30 million tonnes of CO2 emissions since 1992.

The company is a strong advocate of tyre labelling. As Oliva pointed out, the European Commission has fully approved and is in the process of implementing the new regulations establishing minimum performance thresholds and consumer information labelling for tyre performance across Europe. Similarly, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is working to finalise a new regulation for the United States that will establish consumer information and labelling requirements for tyre performance. The final rule from NHTSA is expected early this year.

“While the expected US regulation does not currently include the specification of minimum tyre performance standards (unlike the EU legislation), Michelin strongly supports the establishment of such standards to assure the removal from the US market of tyres that are the worst performers in fuel efficiency,” Oliva stated. “Michelin is working with other progressive stakeholders to request that Congress and NHTSA establish a low rolling resistance standard and has offered our full assistance and cooperation to advance this fuel saving and emission reducing standard.”

Directing his attention to electric vehicles, Oliva commented on the “unique demands” these vehicles place on tyre performance. Designers much account for more torque on the low end and utilise new materials to reduce tyre mass in order to help offset battery weight. Furthermore, the minimal engine noise in electric vehicles means tyres have to be quiet and require increased uniformity to maintain vehicle comfort. Aerodynamic considerations also influence rim size, tyre width and overall shape.

 “Because we are convinced that the battle to reduce mass and the introduction of electric power trains will be two major disruptions of the next two decades, Michelin is moving beyond just the tyre and is imagining what the wheel itself can incorporate,” Oliva stated. The Michelin Active Wheel, the vice president for Sustainable Development continued, integrates “all essential components into the wheel itself”, thereby eliminating the motor from under the bonnet and traditional suspension and transmission components.

For electric or hybrid applications that would not require an electric suspension system, Michelin has been working on ‘motorised wheels’, Oliva added. “The electric drive BB1 concept unveiled by PSA in Frankfurt last fall, features two motorised wheels on the rear axle. Similarly, a hybrid concept in development by Renault, uses two motorised wheels as well. It is interesting to note that recently the chief technical officer of Nissan stated that in-wheel motor technology is the condition required for EVs to really take-off. Michelin has developed the expertise and has active development programs globally with several vehicle manufacturers.”

In closing, Oliva stated “Michelin views itself as more than a tyre maker. We instead see ourselves as a full partner in the challenge of sustainable mobility. We take this challenge quite seriously and we have committed the 120,000 Michelin employees worldwide to its cause. By producing the most technically advanced tyres for today’s vehicles, partnering with vehicle manufacturers on motorised wheel systems for tomorrow’s vehicles, and encouraging legislative and technological progress toward a truly sustainable future, we are leading our industry as part of the solution for the future of road transportation.”