Developing Next-Gen Tires For Premium EVs, Hyundai Motor Group And Michelin Joined Forces

Today, Hyundai Motor Group has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Michelin to develop next-gen tires optimized for premium electric vehicles EVs.

The signing ceremony took place at the Group’s Namyang Research Centre, which happened last week on June 17. 

Present was Bong-soo Kim, vice president and head of chassis development centre at Hyundai Motor Group and Georges Levy, executive vice president of automotive original equipment at Michelin.

Said new MoU follows the completion of the two parties' first partnership, which will lead towards the next-gen tires to be equipped with the Group’s clean, smart and sustainable mobility solutions.

Hyundai Motor Group’s vice president and head of chassis development centre, Bong-soo Kim said, “This partnership with Michelin will result in real innovations in tire technology, solidifying Hyundai Motor Group’s position as a leader in the smart mobility industry. By fully leveraging our mobility technology and Michelin’s tire expertise, we are confident in our ability to achieve ground-breaking innovations in tire performance enhancement and create synergies in this organic collaboration.”

Significantly, the agreement is a follow-up to the first five-year partnership that was signed back in November 2017.

At which, it was to jointly develop an exclusive tire for the IONIQ 5 and carry out experiments and analysis methods related to tires as well as technology exchange. 

In the next three years, Hyundai Motor Group and Michelin will jointly develop the following innovations:

- Eco-friendly tires with better use of eco-friendly materials

- Tires optimized for next-generation electric vehicles

- Real-time tire monitoring system to help advance autonomous driving technology

Michelin’s executive vice president of automotive original equipment, Georges Levy, commented, "The collaboration between Hyundai Motor Group and Michelin over the past five years contributed to the successful launch of the Hyundai IONIQ 5. We are pleased to announce that the relationship has been extended for three more years to continue our work together on new technologies in favour of safer, cleaner mobility. The association between Hyundai Motor Group and Michelin is founded on the same vision and on a shared passion for excellence, performance and innovation that have become increasingly essential factors as we rise to the mobility-related challenges we all face today.”

Next-generation tires resulting from the collaboration will find their way onto future premium EV models of Hyundai Motor Group. 

This new tire technology is critical to meet the durability requirements of tires, and driving performance and electric efficiency under high load as the driving range of EVs continues to rise.

Plus, the Group and Michelin also plan to conduct joint research to analyse tire wear, tire load and road friction beyond the current standards of tire temperature and air pressure. 

As such, the new tires are also expected to significantly improve drivers’ ride comfort by reducing vibration and noise generated by EVs at high speeds.

That said, the two parties will also explore ways to increase the use of eco-friendly materials in tires to about 50 percent of the total tire weight from 20 percent currently.