LAVAL, Quebec — Group Michelin is presenting two sustainable innovations, including a green race tire concept, at the 2021 Movin'On global sustainable mobility summit, being held virtually through June 4.
The French tire maker has developed a racing tire containing 46% sustainable materials for the GreenGT Mission H24 hydrogen-powered prototype that's the basis for a hydrogen-powered class scheduled to debut at the 2024 LeMans 24 Hours endurance race.
The tire, Michelin said, is engineered for motorsports and delivers high sustainable content — thanks to a high natural rubber content and recycled carbon black recovered from scrap tires — as well as "superior on-track performance."
Furthermore, the tire includes other bio-sourced or recycled sustainable materials, such as orange and lemon rind, sunflower oil, pine resin and recycled steel and aluminum.
"With its totally new innovation engineered for motorsports, Michelin has found what many observers thought was impossible: a way to make a tire with high sustainable content that still delivers superior on-track performance," the company said in a news release.
Earlier this year, Michelin announced its commitment to using 100% sustainable materials in all its tires by 2050. This commitment will reach an initial milestone in 2030, with a Group-wide target of having 40% sustainable materials in its tires.
Michelin also is unveiling the Wing Sail Mobility (WISAMO) project — an automated, telescopic, inflatable wing sail system that can be fitted on both merchant ships and pleasure craft.
The inflatable wing sail, according to Michelin, has a "revolutionary design" that enables a ship to reduce its fuel consumption by up to 20%.
Especially suitable for so-called roll-on/roll-off ships, bulk carriers and oil and gas tankers, it can be fitted as original equipment on newbuilds or retrofitted on in-service vessels.
"The two innovative solutions… offer tangible, real-world proof of our determination to make mobility increasingly sustainable," Managing Chairman Florent Menegaux said.