A future on wheels

Monday, 11 june 2018 | Brenda Rodríguez López

Talking about the future of the car industry is almost imperative. The automotive industry is one of the fields that invests in and bets on innovation the most. The usual topics in the sector are the transition towards the vehicle electrification, the unbridled competition of brands to achieve the desired level five of autonomous driving, the search for new alternatives that are respectful with the environment, the greater connectivity of automobiles or the change in the user behavior that initiatives like "carsharing" set out. However, it is not often that the attention of the industry falls on the future of something that a priori may seem trivial, but that in reality is a fundamental and inherent part of the vehicle concept: tires.

Far from the generalization of the use of the so-called flying cars, it is also important to focus on  what keeps cars in contact with the road. Until recently, tires were one of the most conservative elements of vehicles, now manufacturers also set out new challenges for wheels.  Companies do not skimp on offering different, futuristic and unusual ideas when it comes to developing "rubbers" that are ecological, connected and which have proved to be more efficient than the current ones. What do these tires of the future look like?

Ecological and connected tires by Michellin

Perhaps, aware of the industry's shift towards electrification, the increasing regulation of vehicle emissions in Europe and the diesel decline, the manufacturers specialized in tire production are now focusing on the environmental care. One of the last companies to launch an ecological message is also one of the best known brands of "rubbers", Michellin. The world's second-largest tire manufacturer recently announced the ambitious goal of getting all its tires to be 100% recyclable in 2048.

During the last edition of the Movin'On mobility congress in Montreal, Michellin presented its plan to manufacture tires made with 80% sustainable materials that can be recycled in the future in an integrated manner. The French group is now looking for new biodegradable materials with which they can fulfill this mission. The self-imposed challenge by the firm is not only limited to this task, but it also proposes the development of new formulas to recycle the tires that are now produced.

Another of the working lines of the french firm has to do with boosting the connectivity in the wheels of the vehicles themselves. Although it may seem an advance which is still far from the present day, it is closer to a near future that it might seem at first. The CEO of Michellin, Florent Menegaux, says that at the end of this year all the truck tires will have an electronic device that will allow to collect and consult information about their status to the fleets, all the necessary system for their control. A technology that has already been tested in aircraft tires and that in the coming years will come to passenger cars. Besides, the firm also launched several weeks ago, in collaboration with Porsche Michellin Track Connect, a service designed for circuits that connects the tires with a mobile app.