Michelin presents two new innovations at the 2021 Movin’On global sustainable mobility summit.
Michelin Unveils Mobility Breakthroughs
At the 2021 Movin’On global sustainable mobility summit, Michelin has presented two new innovations that address some of the major challenges impacting the future of mobility.
Designed to make transportation more efficient while conserving resources, Michelin’s latest solutions represent core initiatives in the efforts being pursued by Movin’On and its ecosystem to foster mobility that is gentler on the planet.
“We share a core value with Movin’On and its partners, namely the deep belief that mobility, and movement in the broadest sense of the term are inherent to life and a source of progress. The two innovative solutions we are presenting at this year’s global sustainable mobility summit offer tangible, real-world proof of our determination to make mobility increasingly sustainable,” says Michelin Managing Chairman, Florent Menegaux.
The Wing Sail Mobility (WISAMO) project is an automated, telescopic, inflatable wing sail system that can be fitted on both merchant ships and pleasure craft. The system is the product of a collaborative venture between Michelin Research & Development and two Swiss inventors who share the Group’s ‘all-sustainable’ vision.
The inflatable wing sail harnesses the wind, a free, universal and inexhaustible source of propulsion. Its revolutionary design enables a ship to reduce its fuel consumption and thereby have a positive impact on the environment by lowering CO2 emissions.
Designed and developed by the WISAMO project team, the system is installable on most merchant ships and pleasure craft. Especially suitable for ro-ro ships, bulk carriers and oil and gas tankers, it can be fitted as original equipment on new-builds or retrofitted on in-service vessels.
The WISAMO system will first be fitted on a merchant ship in 2022 when Michelin expects it to go into production following completion of the trial phase. The project is Michelin’s contribution to enabling greener, softer maritime mobility in advance of future regulations. The company is also taking action to reduce the environmental impact of its supply chain. In addition to this commitment, and in line with its strategic plan, the Group is basing a portion of its growth on the development of new businesses.
A Track-Proven Tyre with 46 Per Cent Sustainable Content
At the 2021 Movin’On Summit, Michelin also unveiled a racing tyre which was constructed using 46 per cent sustainable materials, fitted to the GreenGT Mission H24 hydrogen-powered prototype developed for endurance racing.
By Innovating and engineering the racing tyre for motorsports, Michelin has found what many observers thought was impossible: a way to make a tyre with high sustainable content still deliver a superior on-track performance.
This very high percentage was achieved by increasing the tyre’s natural rubber content and using recycled carbon black recovered from end-of-life tyres.
Other bio-sourced or recycled sustainable materials used in the tyre include everyday items as orange and lemon rind, sunflower oil, pine resin and recycled steel from aluminium cans.
