Putting air in your tires may soon be a distant memory, since Michelin and General Motors have unveiled a new airless tire called the Uptis Prototype. The name of the tire stands for “Unique Puncture-proof Tire System” and just as its name suggests, the tire is alleviates the dreaded flat or blowout.
In addition to reducing blowouts or flats, the tire will reduce the number of punctured or damaged tires that are scraped before they reach the end of their lifecycle, which reduces the number of tires that are prematurely sent to the dumpster. The Uptis Prototype also reduces the use of raw materials that are used to create new tires, since the number of replacement tires will be reduced.
GM plans to start testing the Uptis Prototype on the Chevy Bolt later this year and if all goes as planned, GM plans to have the airless tire technology on its vehicles as early as 2024.
