Sometimes it’s not rubber that meets the road. Radical concepts imagine a world where cars roll on resin spokes, flats are a thing of the past and tires change shape to meet the demands of the ride.
When tire maker Michelin looked to the future, it imagined a tire that looks more like it was grown than manufactured. Michelin introduced the Vision concept, a combined tire and wheel, in 2017. The structure is derived from materials that are organic, biosourced, renewable and easily recycled for other applications,” Michelin says.
The Vision is meant to be “recharged” with a 3D-printed tread as needed. The tire would also be embedded with sensors designed to detect road conditions, maintenance needs and performance.
