Uptis, Michelin's airless tire in test phase with General Motors
Michelin and General Motors unveiled a new generation of airless tires. The ultimate solution to avoid punctures!
If this tire comes to the market one day, no doubt it should be a great success.
A tire with innovative architecture:
And for good reason, this new innovative tire does not require air to operate. His name? Uptis. For Unique Puncture-proof Tire System.
Currently being tested, this tire developed by the company Michelin, and the car manufacturer General Motors is the result of a research partnership between the two groups. The aim of these cars is to equip cars as early as 2024.
If you look at the tread of the tire, Uptis does not differ from a conventional train. The rubber is there, as are the grooves to evacuate the water and maximize grip on the road.
It is in profile; however, that reveals the peculiarity of the tire. It is indeed possible to observe, on the outside of the rim, slats aligned next to each other, making all the way around the tire, and constituting the architecture.
Saving time and money:
Slats that seem resistant in case of rolling and easily deformable when the tire meets a sidewalk or a step. Moreover, with this technique, the tire can be drilled several times, and continue to ride normally. Lastly, with Uptis, tire pressure control is becoming a thing of the past.
Michelin and General Motors see in this new tire several advantages: a reduction in the immobilization of professional fleets, since punctures are no longer necessary.
Save time and money for drivers who will spend less on their tires every day. And above all, real progress for the protection of the environment, with less use of raw material, in this case, rubber, for the manufacture of tires.
