Michelin and GM are testing airless tyres that will eliminate the need for spares and car jacks

[mylesillidge]

Airless tyres being tested on Chevy Bolts

Michelin and General Motors (GM) have introduced a prototype airless tyre — dubbed UPTIS (or “Unique Puncture-proof Tyre System”).

GM will begin testing the prototype on numerous Chevy Bolts, with plans to launch the airless tyre system for passenger vehicles by 2024.

 

[Vorastra]

Amazing that it's taken so long considering these have been available for use in things like forklifts and whatnot for years now.
IIRC Michelin started showing these off as the "tweel" back in the early 2000s.

I wonder what's suddenly made them viable for car use.

 

[RedViking]

How well do they burn?

/asking for a friend

 

[Vorastra]

How well so they burn?

/asking for a friend

You were told to stop putting them around people's necks...

 

[CommonSense]

How many vanes do you need to break off to drive on sand?

 

[Hemi300c]

They've been thinkinh this since about 2000 when I first saw this.

 

[McGuywer]

Glass-fibre?

 

[Gordon_R]

The idea has been around for a long time, but every technology has advantages and disadvantages. The main ones listed in Wikipedia are heat buildup, and vibration at speeds over 80km/h.

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airless_tire and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweel

 

[Arthur]

We might well have to adjust our sense of automotive aesthetics when tweels become available for regular cars. Some see-through tweels with spokes make the car's wheels appear spindly, almost precarious. Still, looking forward to the tech finally hitting the streets.

 

[LaraC]

The idea has been around for a long time, but every technology has advantages and disadvantages. The main ones listed in Wikipedia are heat buildup, and vibration at speeds over 80km/h.

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airless_tire and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweel

Michelin expects the tread to last two to three times as long as a conventional tire.[3] Because the tread rubber around the outer circumference is replaceable when worn (as opposed to disposing of a whole worn tire), the potential environmental impact of a Tweel airless tire can be less than that of a conventional pneumatic tire.

Hope they can fix the disadvantages. The environmental impact makes it an easy decision.

 

[Arthur]

Another mental adjustment needed: the vehicle hangs from the top of the tweel.

 

[LaraC]

Another mental adjustment needed: the vehicle hangs from the top of the tweel.

What keeps the wheel from deforming?

 

[Smugs]

Ha... You ain't seen our roads yet....

 

[Gordon_R]

Ha... You ain't seen our roads yet....

No mention of cost in the OP. Imagine if that thing gets ripped by going over a pavement. No way of fixing it, needs complete replacement.

 

[Dan C]

What keeps the wheel from deforming?

Driving faster than 40km/h , in your case it should not matter

 

[dabbler]

So I presume you can drive over as many nails as you want?

 

[wingnut771]

So I presume you can drive over as many nails as you want?

Balancing might become a problem.

 

[Cosmik Debris]

Another mental adjustment needed: the vehicle hangs from the top of the tweel.

That's true of spoked wheels where the tension of the spoke is the support.. The pic appears to be the tweel compressing the bottom vanes though...

 

[Cosmik Debris]

By extension, this could also abolish the need for jacks and spare tyres,

So, when you damage the tyre on a pothole or kerb, you don't have a spare to replace it nor a jack to replace it with?

 

[Dan C]

So I presume you can drive over as many nails as you want?

My guess is yes.