MANUFACTURE FRANCAISE DES PNEUMATIQUES MICHELIN
MANUFACTURE FRANCAISE DES PNEUMATIQUES MICHELIN
Organisation Introduction
As a world leader in sustainable mobility solutions, Michelin improves transportation performance with high-tech tires and state-of-the-art services, while its guides, itinerary planners and recommendations make travel easier and more fulfilling.
In addition to mobility, the Group is leveraging its exceptional high-tech materials expertise in such future-facing markets as sustainable flexible composites, medical applications, metal 3D printing, and zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell systems.
Why ZEFES?
Michelin has set ambitious planet targets for 2050. Those targets cannot be achieved by Michelin alone since today more than 80% of CO2 impact of tires happen during their usage on a vehicle. Electrification of the vehicles is key to decrease that CO2 impact. Michelin participation in the ZEFES project is a unique occasion for Michelin to contribute to the challenge of being for Europe the first net zero CO2 continent by 2050.
The growing popularity of electric mobility are opening up new opportunities for our tire technologies. Whether heavy or light, EVs need tires with higher technological content to meet an array of demanding requirements, such as low rolling resistance to increase range, robustness and durability to bear heavy batteries, and quieter rolling noise. These trends are also favorable for hydrogen-powered electric powertrains.
What in ZEFES?
The activities of MICHELIN within ZEFES are:
- To identify the constraints of transport operations with electric trucks on our Michelin inter-site transport operations.
- To develop a digital twin of the heavy duty tire for rolling resistance and wear in order to understand the impacts of rolling resistance on the autonomy of the electric truck according to actual use, its LCA (Life Cycle Analysis), its TCO.
- To evaluate the impact of electrification on tire performance for Drive prototype tire improved in wear resistance / rolling resistance compromise.
“The ZEFES project helps us to consolidate our knowledge related to the impact of the electrification of heavy-duty vehicles on some key tire performances, whether through demonstration of wear resistance in real conditions or by the development of predictive autonomy models taking into account the impact of tire rolling resistance and wear in usage conditions.”
