Uptis hits roadways with Michelin, DHL partnership

CLERMONT-FERRAND, France — Group Michelin is delivering on a 3-year-old promise to bring Uptis — its much-anticipated airless tire/wheel hybrid — to market a year ahead of schedule.

Deutsche Post A.G. began fitting DHL delivery vehicles in Singapore with versions of the Uptis nonpneumatic, puncture-proof tire/wheel hybrid Jan. 10, marking a major milestone in the product's development.

"Thanks to a partnership between DHL and Michelin, Michelin's airless prototype tire has taken another step forward," the tire maker said in statement. "One year ahead of schedule, the very first Michelin Uptis tires are now marketed in real-world conditions."

By year-end, DHL plans to have roughly 50 DHL Express last-mile delivery vans in Singapore operating with Uptis tire/wheels, according to the tire maker.

Uptis represents a big step forward for Michelin, expanding its expertise in the nonpneumatic tire space. With Tweel, Michelin successfully took the airless tire concept to off-road applications and has remained a leader in the development of the technology in that segment.

With Uptis, however, Michelin brings the technology to the passenger vehicle space, an arena that has imagined the possibilities of airless tire designs, but never really found the right fit. The French tire maker said it believes Uptis could be the segment's answer and has spent the last three years or so developing Uptis for this purpose along with its partner General Motors.

More than that, though, Uptis represents Michelin's ultimate "vision" for future tire mobility, one that is built around 100% sustainability, safety and ingenuity.

"Michelin Uptis is a major breakthrough innovation in the tire field," Bruno De Feraudy, director of OEM activities for the Michelin Group, said.

"This is a result of some 50 patents linked to the tire's structure and high-tech materials. It demonstrates Michelin's capacity for innovation in favor of safer mobility that is better for the environment."

And when it comes to the environment, Michelin said Uptis could have quite an impact.

Michelin estimates 12% of tires are scrapped early because of punctures or irreparable air loss damage. Another 8% are scrapped early due to improper wear. Because Uptis is puncture-proof and has no air pressure to maintain, it could potentially reduce prematurely scrapped tires by as much as 20% — or about 200 million tires annually.

Because the tire is both airless and puncture-proof, it provides a level of safety that traditional pneumatic tires can't. Moreover, without the need to maintain optimal air pressure or change out tires that have been punctured, cut or otherwise damaged, individuals and fleets can optimize range, fuel their vehicles' efficiency and uptime.

And all of that adds up to savings — economical and environmental — for DHL.

"As a pioneer in green logistics, we are excited to partner with Michelin to trial its airless tires on our vehicles in Singapore," Christopher Ong, managing director at DHL Express Singapore, said. "… This collaboration marks another milestone for us as we set out to green our last mile operations and achieve net-zero carbon emissions across the DHL network globally."