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Michelin, GM Take The Air Out of Tires For Passenger Vehicles

Uptis is an assembled airless wheel structure technology made accessible to passenger vehicles, which offers many advantages.

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Bhupi Pnwr
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150 views2 pages

Michelin, GM Take The Air Out of Tires For Passenger Vehicles

Uptis is an assembled airless wheel structure technology made accessible to passenger vehicles, which offers many advantages.

Uploaded by

Bhupi Pnwr
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PRESS INFORMATION

MICHELIN, GM TAKE THE AIR OUT OF TIRES


FOR PASSENGER VEHICLES

MONTREAL, June 4, 2019 — Michelin and General Motors presented a new generation of airless
wheel technology for passenger vehicles — the MICHELIN Uptis Prototype (or “Unique Puncture-
proof Tire System”) — at the Movin’On Summit for sustainable mobility.

Michelin and GM also announced a joint research agreement under which the companies intend to
validate the Uptis Prototype with the goal of introducing Uptis on passenger models as early as
2024.

Michelin and GM are testing the Uptis Prototype, beginning with vehicles like the Chevrolet Bolt EV.
Later this year, the companies will initiate real-world testing of Uptis on a test fleet of Bolt EV
vehicles in Michigan.

Because Uptis is airless, the breakthrough wheel assembly eliminates the dangerous risk of flat
tires and blowouts:

• Drivers of passenger vehicles feel safer on the road.


• Operators of passenger vehicle fleets minimize downtime and improve efficiency resulting from
flat tires and near-zero levels of maintenance.
• Society at large benefits from extraordinary environmental savings through reduced use of raw
materials for replacement tire or spare tire production.

The Uptis Prototype represents a major advancement toward achieving Michelin’s VISION concept,
which was presented at the Movin’On Summit in 2017 as an illustration of Michelin’s strategy for
research and development in sustainable mobility. The VISION concept introduced four main pillars
of innovation: airless, connected, 3D-printed and 100% sustainable (entirely renewable or bio-
sourced materials).

“Uptis demonstrates that Michelin’s vision for a future of sustainable mobility is clearly an
achievable dream,” said Florent Menegaux, chief executive officer for Michelin Group. “Through
work with strategic partners like GM, who share our ambitions for transforming mobility, we can
seize the future today.”

“General Motors is excited about the possibilities that Uptis presents, and we are thrilled to
collaborate with Michelin on this breakthrough technology,” said Steve Kiefer, senior vice president,
global purchasing and supply chain, General Motors. “Uptis is an ideal fit for propelling the
automotive industry into the future and a great example of how our customers benefit when we
collaborate and innovate with our supplier partners.”

The Uptis Prototype is re-engineered for today’s passenger vehicles, and it is also well suited to
emerging forms of mobility. The vehicles and fleets of tomorrow — whether autonomous, all-
electric, shared service or other applications — will demand near-zero maintenance from the tire to
maximize their operating capabilities.
“The Uptis Prototype demonstrates Michelin’s capacity for innovation — in both the
mastery of these high-tech materials, and also the development approach in close collaboration
with GM, which validates our Vision concept as a roadmap for innovation,” said Eric Vinesse,
executive vice president, research and development, Group Michelin, who revealed Uptis at the
Movin’On Summit. “Uptis represents progress toward Michelin’s vision for tomorrow’s mobility, and
also embodies our commitment to a better, sustainable mobility for all.”

Uptis features ground-breaking improvements in architecture and composite materials, which


enable Uptis to bear the car’s weight at road-going speeds.

These innovations combine to eliminate compressed air to support the vehicle’s load, and result in
extroardinary environmental savings: approximately 200 million tires worldwide are scrapped
prematurely every year as a result of punctures, damage from road hazards or improper air
pressure that causes uneven wear.

These advancements through the Uptis Prototype demonstrate Michelin’s and GM’s shared
commitment to delivering safer, more sustainable mobility solutions.

About Michelin

Michelin, the leading mobility company, is dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility, sustainably;
designing and distributing the most suitable tires, services and solutions for its clients’ needs;
providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique
experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve a variety of industries.
Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 170 countries, has more than
125,000 employees and operates 67 tire production facilities, which together produced around 190
million tires in 2018. (www.michelin.com)

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE: GM) is committed to delivering safer, better and more sustainable ways for
people to get around. General Motors, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under
the Cadillac, Chevrolet, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang and Wuling brands. More information
on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and security
services; Maven, its personal mobility brand; and Cruise, its autonomous vehicle ride-sharing
company; can be found at www.gm.com.

Press Contact
Corinne Meutey, Michelin, [email protected] or +33 (0)1 45 66 22 22

Nick Richards, General Motors, [email protected] or 313-720-9541

###

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