Hyundai Motor Group announced today the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Michelin to develop new tyres optimised for premium electric vehicles (EVs).
The signing ceremony took place at the group’s Namyang Research Center, attended by Bong-soo Kim, vice president and head of chassis development center, and Georges Levy, executive vice president of automotive original equipment at Michelin.
The new MoU follows the successful completion of the two parties’ first partnership.
“This partnership with Michelin will result in real innovations in tyre technology, solidifying Hyundai Motor Group’s position as a leader in the smart mobility industry,” Kim said. “By fully leveraging our mobility technology and Michelin’s tyre expertise, we are confident in our ability to achieve ground-breaking innovations in tyre performance enhancement and create synergies in this organic collaboration.”
The agreement is a follow-up to the first five-year partnership signed in November 2017 to jointly develop an exclusive tyre for the Ioniq 5 and carry out experiments and analysis methods related to tyres as well as technology exchange.
Over the next three years, the group and Michelin will jointly develop eco-friendly tyres with increased use of eco-friendly materials; tyres optimised for new EVs and a real-time tyre monitoring system which will help advance autonomous driving technology.
New tyres resulting from the collaboration will find their way onto future premium EV models. This new tyre technology is critical to meet durability requirements as well as driving performance and electric efficiency under high load as the driving range of EVs continues to increase.
The pair also plan to conduct joint research to analyse tyre wear, load and road friction beyond the current standards of tyre temperature and air pressure. The new tyres are also expected to significantly improve drivers’ ride comfort by reducing vibration and noise generated by EVs at high speeds.
They will also explore ways to increase the use of eco-friendly materials in tyres to about half of the total tyre weight from one fifth currently.
