MICHELIN IN FORMULA-E - Contents

MICHELIN IN FORMULA-E
                                           Contents
1) MICHELIN: WHY FORMULA-E?
2) MICHELIN PILOT SPORT EV: A UNIQUE REVOLUTION IN TYRES
       a. One race, one tyre
       b. An 18-inch revolution
       c. The magic of a connected tyre
3) TYRES, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND MOBILITY: A WIN-WIN SITUATION
4) FROM TRACK TO STREET: THE NEW MICHELIN PILOT SPORT RANGE
       a. MICHELIN PILOT SPORT CUP 2
       b. MICHELIN PILOT SPORT EV
       c. MICHELIN PILOT SPORT H4/S4
       d. Velvet sides: a hallmark of Michelin’s top-of-the-range tyres
5) MICHELIN: FORMULA E OPENS THE DOOR TO INNOVATION
       a. A good place to start
       b. Cars of the future will use different tyres
       c. Why a multi-disciplinary approach works
       d. A brief history lesson
6) MICHELIN TOTAL PERFORMANCE IN FORMULA E: BREAKING NEW GROUND
        a. Formula E showing the way
7) LEGACY PROGRAM: A LASTING CONTRIBUTION TO CITY LIFE
       a. Michelin’s road safety initiatives in the Legacy Program context
       b. A tyre’s life cycle
8) FORMULA E AND THE MICHELIN BIBENDUM CHALLENGE: WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE
INNER-CITY MOBILITY
       a. MICHELIN BIBENDUM CHALLENGE: one for all, all for one
       b. Formula E: advocating electric power and diversity
9) FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP: A NEW CATEGORY, A NEW FOLLOWING
        a. E-Villages for all – promoting sustainable mobility
10) HOW IT ALL HAPPENS: MICHELIN MOTORSPORT DEVELOPS THE MICHELIN PILOT SPORT EV
      a. IT serving the environment
      b. The final – crucial – phase
11) TOWARDS CLEANER TYRES: MICHELIN PERFORMANCE AND RESPONSIBILITY
       a. Michelin Performance and Responsibility in Michelin tyres
       b. Michelin Performance and Responsibility in the manufacturing process
       c. Lower emissions
12) STRUCTURE AND LOGISTICS: MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY, MINIMAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
       a. Time is money – but that’s not all
       b. Eco-friendly logistics

                                    alessandro.barlozzi@fr.michelin.com

01 – Michelin: why Formula-e?

When the FIA called for expressions of interest from potential technical partners in the
context of the new Formula-e Championship Michelin was first to put forward its case. It was
a strategic decision in technology terms, but it was also a perfect fit for the Group and for
Michelin Motorsport, for three main reasons.

1. A question of mobility
The Formula E World Championship centres on a set of problems that have always
preoccupied the Michelin Group: how to drive mobility forward. Our motto is ‘A Better Way
Forward’ and that has been our guiding principle ever since 1889. It also makes Formula-e
the obvious partner for Michelin.

2. The location of the action
This new championship is firmly linked to city centres, in ten major cities at that. That setting,
and a novel format – practice, qualifying and race all in one day – will put Michelin in touch
with a whole new urban audience who may not be there out of a pure passion for motor
racing. Having the e-Village with its various workshops and activities set up right beside the
circuit will open up fresh opportunities to educate people about the role tyres play in
sustainable mobility.

3. Media coverage
Michelin sees Formula-e as a championship for the future, one which will attract strong,
season-long media coverage and therefore provide our Group with much broader visibility
and a real chance to underline the values Michelin embodies. The media see Formula-e as a
new championship in touch with people’s thinking on issues like how to improve urban
mobility, one that also champions the cleaner, better connected car of the future.

A fourth key factor: racing as a research and development tool
In each of the categories it is involved in, Michelin Motorsport tests out new technologies to
build into its next-generation tyres. Formula-e, the exclusive domain of cars with powerful
electric motors, will provide useful information for Michelin when it comes to improving the
energy efficiency of its tyres – and not only tyres for electric vehicles. Improved rolling
resistance will benefit all of the French company’s clients in making fuel savings, be that with
petrol, diesel or electric power.

Every step counts
What we are especially keen to do is help everyone to understand that there is no such thing
as a small step forward when it comes to sustainable mobility. Take the Renault ZOE, which
is 100% electric-powered: its range went up by 6% thanks to using MICHELIN Energy EV
tyres as original equipment. Of course that is just the first step on the innovative journey that
Michelin has embarked upon, but it is in fact a major technological advance, and one that will
soon benefit other tyres in the Michelin range.

02 – MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV: a new revolution in tyres
Contemporary motor racing is about to say hello to a tyre that is one of a kind. Beneath that
‘production tyre’ exterior, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV is in fact a revolutionary tyre capable
of performance levels that are unheard of in competition and even more so in single-seater
racing.
The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV, which has been specially developed for Formula-e cars in
racing’s first-ever electric championship, shares its looks with the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup
2, currently seen on the super-sports cars of the world: cars like the Ferrari 458 Speciale, the
Mercedes SLS-AMG Black Series or the Porsche 918 Spyder, on which it comes as original
equipment.
Everything about the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV, from its velvet-effect sidewalls (a product of
Michelin’s Velvet Technology™), its front and rear sizes (respectively 245/40R18 and
305/40R 18) and even its tread, suggests that this single-seater tyre is in fact a standard
tyre. The truth is that this is a genuine racing tyre with the latest developments built into it,
and one whose performance levels will raise a few eyebrows.
One race, one tyre
In a first for world-class racing, especially single-seaters, these cars will have just one set of
tyres to last them the entire day (practice, qualifying and race), whatever the weather. On
wet or dry tracks, whether it be hot or cold, all competitors will keep the same tyres, with no
detriment either to safety or to performance. Therein lies the real strength of the MICHELIN
Pilot Sport EV: its sheer versatility, which will also mean that Michelin can reduce the
number of tyres that need to be made and then transported to each race (around 200 for 40
cars), so that means less impact on the environment. By way of comparison, and despite a
40% reduction in tyre allowance in the last two years, a single event in the FIA WRC would
require 1,500 tyres for the same number of cars.
An 18-inch revolution
Michelin put the idea forward – and the FIA ran with it. The wheel rims for the Formula-e
Championship measure 18 inches. Why the insistence on that size? In the first place,
Michelin has always stated its preference for race-cars that use wheels and tyres of similar
sizes to motorists’ own cars, in keeping with its drive to transfer technology from racetrack to
road. In Formula 1, for example, the rims are 13-inch, while the tyres also have thick
sidewalls and are very wide, which makes it impossible to derive any useful information from
them as far as mass-produced tyres are concerned. By adopting the MICHELIN Pilot Sport
EV in the 245/40R 18 size, widely used nowadays on road cars, Formula-e becomes
effectively a test-bed for Michelin’s next-generation mass market tyres. The second reason
for adopting 18-inch diameter tyres has to do with research into energy efficiency. A tyre with
low sidewalls is subject to less deformation when running, which reduces the heat build-up
and its impact on fuel consumption.
The magic of a ‘connected’ tyre
One of the keys to success in motor racing is data-gathering and analysis to help understand
everything that goes on inside the car. That same thinking lies behind the decision to
incorporate an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device) chip in the MICHELIN Pilot
Sport EV. Housed in the sidewall, the chip will help track the covers from the production
stage to when they are returned to the factory for recycling. But these micro-components’
electronic memory will also be of benefit both to racing performance and to Michelin’s
engineers. In tandem with temperature and pressure sensors, the chip will store every bit of
data relating to the stresses the tyre undergoes. This valuable data will help Michelin’s
engineers to analyse the tyre’s behaviour at every phase and quickly adapt the lessons
learned both to track performance and to production tyres.

03 – Tyres, energy efficiency and mobility: a win-win situation

Tyres are key contributors to sustainable mobility: not only can their own environmental impact be
improved, but they can also help the vehicles using them to save energy. How? Read on – it’s a
straightforward equation…
Lower rolling resistance, less mass, greater longevity, increased versatility = reduced energy
consumption, greater range, reduced emissions and fewer raw materials…
…and that warrants taking a closer look.
Lower rolling resistance: the tyre accounts for 20% of the energy consumed by a car with an
internal combustion engine and 30% in an electric vehicle. The more we can reduce a tyre’s rolling
resistance (and new-generation technologies mean we can do that today with no detriment to the
tyre’s other characteristics), the less fuel we need to propel the vehicle.
Smaller mass: weight is the enemy, especially when it comes to cars. That’s because less bulk
means less energy required to move it. Michelin is constantly reducing the weight of its tyres, at
the same time maintaining and even improving their performance. Using less material in the first
place is also a clean initiative. Doing more with less is possible, thanks to new technologies and
the initiative of Michelin’s engineers.
Longer life: every car manufacturer is keen to offer the highest mileage achievable – and here
Michelin excels. The key is to maintain the same performance levels with 30,000 or 40,000
kilometres on the clock or after three or four years’ running. That is another strength of Michelin
tyres. In ecological terms, the longer you go without having to change your tyres, the fewer tyres
you will need over the working lifetime of your car.
Greater versatility: whereas most categories require you to change tyres in accordance with
wear or weather, Formula-e race cars will use the same tyres from start to finish of a day’s racing.
That is the kind of versatility motor sport should be aiming for, and it is part and parcel of any
worthwhile ecological initiative.
HOW THE FIGURES ADD UP
Less fuel or energy consumed: this is the first benefit flowing from the effort Michelin has put
into its tyre design, allowing car manufacturers to reduce consumption through using lighter tyres
with reduced rolling resistance.
Increased range: a direct result of the previous item, whatever kind of vehicle we are talking
about. Where fossil fuels are concerned, lower consumption naturally means extended range. The
same principle applies to the batteries in electric vehicles, which store their energy, thus
increasing their potential mileage between charges. For example, the MICHELIN Energy EV,
when fitted as original equipment on the Renault ZOE, gave a 6% increase in battery range, a
significant saving in energy.
Lower emissions: reducing consumption helps – but it’s not the only thing. The whole industry
process of design, manufacture and transporting of tyres has to be looked at, which brings us back
to our basic equation. Fewer raw materials plus increased energy efficiency from the tyres equals
significant savings on emissions through the entire chain, from production to recycling.
Fewer raw materials: protection of natural resources is paralleled by savings in raw materials for
manufacture and when tyre use is part of a well-managed lifespan.
In a tyre’s life cycle there are many buttons Michelin can push to help the environment and
sustainable mobility. From the choice of raw materials to the way they are harvested, transported,
transformed then brought to market before eventual recycling, MICHELIN uses eco-friendly
procedures to develop tyres which benefit both vehicle manufacturers of all kinds and of course
the various end-users.

04 – From track to street:
                  the new MICHELIN Pilot Sport range

In keeping with the MICHELIN Total Performance plan, whose aim is to develop multiple
parameters of a given tyre concurrently, Michelin is keen to emphasise the driving pleasure
and safety-conscious sports performance of its new MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV range aimed
at both the mass market and at motor sport.
All of these tyres have one feature in common: they were all developed in tune with the
vehicles they equip. More than ever before, top-of-the-range tyres are an integral part of the
machine, meaning drivers on a racetrack or on the road can get the best from their cars –
and in racing terms that means lap times.
MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2: this tyre redefines ‘top-of-the-range’ for super-sportscar
through close collaboration with the manufacturers right from the first stages of new model
development. This approach makes it possible to offer both manufacturers and motorists a
tyre specifically developed to equip any given model. The tyre incorporates race-bred
technologies such as the use of different compounds for interior and exterior of the tread,
ultra-resistant aramid to minimise tyre deformation and Track Variable Contact Patch 3.0™
technology to optimise air pressure at point of contact, thus giving the ideal footprint and
road-holding ability. The MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 comes as original equipment on
exclusive models such as the Ferrari 458 Speciale, the Mercedes SLS-AMG Black Series
and the Porsche 918 Spyder.
MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV: this tyre has been specially developed for Formula-e
Championship single-seater racing cars, driven by powerful electric motors which deliver
consistent torque from zero rpm. That means these specific tyres must be able to absorb
torque from start-up as well as providing perfect traction on pick-up and in cornering. Made
solely for electric vehicles, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV must also offer optimised rolling
resistance in order to maintain battery range. Last but not least, the compound used on the
tread uses next-generation technologies which make the tyre useable on dry or wet tracks –
a radical change from what we are accustomed to in other categories, underlining the
outstanding qualities of this distillation of new technology.
MICHELIN Pilot Sport H4/S4: this is the asphalt tyre specifically made for the WRC. The H4
(hard compound) and S4 (soft compound) variants are entirely new in terms of architecture,
construction and tread. Revealed in late July at Rally Finland, they are due to make their
competition debut on the 2014 Rally de France-Alsace on October 9-12. Based on the same
platform as the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2, this tyre is also aimed at versatility: it does
away with the need for rain tyres in inclement weather. Like the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV, it
uses 18-inch rims (MICHELIN’s tyres for gravel rallies use 15-inch rims).
Velvet sidewalls: a hallmark of Michelin’s top-of-the-range tyres
What we have here is Velvet Technology™, a Michelin technology which makes it possible
to create contrast on certain sections of the outer sidewall through use of a micro-geometry
technique that absorbs light.
MICHELIN’S Pilot Sport range showcases its experience with ultra-high performance tyres
and highlights the benefits they can bring to motorists. The range also shows the lessons
learned from racing and their rapid transfer to the next generation of road-going tyres.

05 – Michelin: Formula-e opens the door to innovation

Formula-e is no different from any of the other disciplines MICHELIN is involved with in the
sense that it will be used to try out technological solutions and learn technical lessons that
will benefit the development of mass-produced tyres for the future. But there is one
significant difference: Formula-e is a new championship, and that means starting from
scratch.
A good place to start
That is actually a tremendous advantage and a very exciting prospect, because Michelin
Motorsport’s engineers had to start from a clean sheet of paper when it came to developing
the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV at the same time as the racing car itself was taking shape. It
was a plan of attack that allowed them to come up with the ideal tyre for these single-seater
racing cars and to glimpse possible ways ahead beyond that. It was a shared task that
served as a reminder to manufacturers of the need to forge the closest possible ties with the
constructors they are working with.
The organisers have decided to get this new championship off the ground by supplying the
teams with identical cars, but the technical regulations will be looser from its second season
onward. That means the teams will be free to develop new technologies either on their own
or in conjunction with car manufacturers or university researchers. That is a very important
step in underlining the nature of this new category as a genuine test-bed for future mobility.
The car of the future: different tyres required
Oil is growing scarcer. It will be replaced, not by a single type of fuel, but by several
alternative sources of energy. The current front-runners, some of which still use petrol, are
hybrid systems (gasoline or diesel plus electric motor), rechargeable hybrids (giving between
20 and 50 kilometres on electric power alone before returning to the internal combustion
engine), hydrogen (fuel cell transforming hydrogen into electricity) or fully electric. And while
today’s cars, gasoline or diesel, already use tyres that suit their technical specifications,
there will be a much greater need to fine-tune the tyres that go on the cars of the future.
Weight, traction control systems, aerodynamics, the need to favour range based on other
criteria: all of these mean that every type of engine and motor – every model, even – will be
able to make optimum use of its specific tyres. So customised technical solutions are the key
to Michelin’s chances of maximising its own contribution to enhanced mobility.
The benefits of a multi-disciplinary approach
Michelin already uses a unique strategy in developing its tyres: it is the MICHELIN Total
Performance pledge. It means working simultaneously on all the parameters of a tyre to
make it function at its best. The four key axes in improving tyre quality are its internal
construction, the materials employed, the profile and the tread. Every time Michelin develops
or improves its tyre ranges, either for racetrack or for the road, it works on all of those factors
together. This ‘total approach’ brings one challenge, and that is that certain characteristics of
the tyre are commonly believed to be mutually contradictory, which makes it very difficult to
develop them in tandem as the laws of physics assert themselves. To get round those
conflicts, Michelin relies on one method: innovation, the key to any new technologies.
New constructions, new profiles drawn up by engineering ‘architects’, new materials
perfected by chemists, new tread patterns designed by bespoke specialists: a whole
development team is drawn together by the priceless research and development
opportunities that only racing affords.

Each of those disciplines contributes its own key information to the Group’s research and
development activity. In the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), for instance,
Michelin’s aim is to study and improve the link between lap time, tyre versatility in varying
weather conditions and consistency in performance from a single set of tyres in the course of
a race. The data gathered there is used to help develop top-of-the-range tyres for
established markets. In the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), on the other hand,
Michelin focuses on the link between performance, tyre life and durability. This is the perfect
test-bed for designing tyres for emerging countries whose road networks are still taking
shape, the roads themselves either unmade or badly made, and on undulating terrain.
For its part, Formula-e adds another brick to the Michelin research wall: the relationship
between performance and energy efficiency. This is fundamental to the development of tyres
for the cars of the future. To give some examples, the Exagon Furtive e-GT, a 100% electric
sports car made in France and the Porsche 918 Spyder demand outstanding performance
levels of their Michelin tyres, which are also expected to make their contribution to increased
battery range.
A brief history lesson
In terms of mobility, Michelin has always been a pioneer, providing motorists with various
services aimed at better, safer motoring – and even a better quality of life. Since its creation
in 1889, Michelin has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the motorist, offering detailed maps
and guides to the best itineraries and even then helping save fuel and limit the journey’s
impact on the environment.
Michelin has always championed mobility, and sustainable mobility in particular; it has also
been a key technical player in some remarkable adventures. When an electric car, the
JAMAIS CONTENTE, ran past the 100kph mark for the first time ever on April 29, 1899, it
was, of course, on Michelin tyres. Why should Formula-e should be any different?

06 – MICHELIN Total Performance in Formula-e:
                               breaking new ground

Whenever a driver gets behind the wheel, he needs total confidence in his car and, of
course, in its tyres. Drive, road-holding, and breaking distances, like durability, road noise
and increasingly rolling resistance (a factor in energy consumption) are all expected to be
excellent. Unfortunately some of those criteria are self-contradictory: braking distances and
cornering grip, for example, are no friends of long tyre life, while coming up with good rolling
resistance as well as short braking distances is a technological conundrum.
Despite the limitations imposed by the laws of physics, new materials and advanced
technologies mean Michelin’s engineers can develop all the parameters in tyre performance
without compromising any single area. Michelin has a name for this unique process, which
sits at the centre of its strategy: the MICHELIN Total Performance pledge.
It can be applied to every class of Michelin tyres, and each time the homologation process is
gone through with a car manufacturer. The brand endeavours to find the most
comprehensive performance range for each of them, in order to satisfy the needs of
customers in every market segment.
Formula-e as a showcase
We should probably expect some surprises as cars evolve – in fact the revolution is already
under way!
Virtually every manufacturer can now offer hybrid and/or electric vehicles. New players in
emerging countries are banking on new technologies to grow their share of the global
market. New, entirely electric sports car brands like Exagon have come into being. The most
prestigious of the sports car manufacturers have launched hybrid ‘supercars’: McLaren,
Ferrari and Porsche, for example, whose 918 Spyder comes exclusively with MICHELIN
Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres developed in tandem with the car itself.
This new generation of cars is taking mobility to another level, one which is both cleaner and
more efficient, and Michelin tyres are among the components capable of keeping pace with
this change. The need for sheer performance is now matched by an equal need for energy
efficiency: new ground is opening up to Michelin, bringing the opportunity to consolidate its
role as a world leader in tyre technology.
Formula-e is firmly in line with this technological ferment: single-seater race-cars that are
100% electric and follow a totally new design make this an excellent area for Michelin
researchers to explore. The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV, developed with Formula-e in mind, is
the best proof of what Michelin engineers can do, since the tyre was designed while many
aspects of the new category were still not set in stone.
Work done largely on the simulator has produced a tyre with excellent grip on both dry and
wet surfaces, giving exceptional tyre life as well since it will last through practice, the
qualifying session and the e-Prix itself. On top of that, it can absorb strenuous torque levels
(Formula-e’s electric motors deliver maximum torque right from start-up) and allow for
shorter braking, as should be the case for a single-seater. With its 18-inch diameter and the
technologies built into it, this new Michelin tyre is also highly energy-efficient.
Yet for all its outstanding qualities, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV is really only the first step.
The Group is keen to use Formula-e to break new ground. The way the cars develop will be
a challenge in itself, as teams will be free, as early as season two, to find original technical
solutions of their own.

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) will also treat the evolving technical
regulations for future Formula-e Championships as a catalyst for innovation, and that means
Michelin’s engineers will need to come up with quick answers to the evolving demands of the
class.
Formula-e sits perfectly alongside Michelin’s own values: it affords the business an
opportunity to advance mass production tyres on the basis of lessons learned on the
racetrack. That pioneering spirit has been part of Michelin’s DNA since the company was
founded more than 120 years ago.

07 – The Legacy Program: a lasting contribution to city life

Formula-e’s organisers set up the ‘Legacy Program’ in order to make sure that the
championship will make a lasting mark on each of the cities it visits. Michelin supports the
program and plans activities that will benefit the people of those cities, especially when it
comes to road safety. Since May 2011, the French Group has been involved with the FIA, in its
Action for Road Safety initiative. One of that initiative’s core principles is the worldwide
dissemination of the 10 ‘Golden Rules’; motor sport events with large followings, as the
Formula-e e-Prix will be, are an ideal opportunity to drive that campaign and make motorists
more keenly aware of the need for good behaviour in pursuit of safer road use.
The 10 Golden Rules which the FIA and Michelin are advocating around the world are:
      Always wear a safety belt
      Respect the highway code
      Observe speed limits
      Check tyre pressure and wear
      Don’t drink and drive
      Protect your children and make sure they buckle up
      Stay alert while driving
      Stop if you are tired
      Always wear a helmet when motor-cycling
      Be polite to your fellow-motorists
The program also addresses questions like responsible motoring and the environment,
whether it be in city driving or in recycling materials that contribute in some way to mobility.
MICHELIN road safety initiatives in the context of the Legacy Program
When it comes to tyres, age and wear apart, the factor that has most impact on road safety is
tyre pressure. A tyre that is just 0.5 bar below its correct pressure – something that is not
always obvious to the naked eye – puts the car’s occupants at risk, particularly when driving at
high speed, when tyres are far more likely to over-heat or burst. Fuel consumption will also
suffer: an under-inflated tyre can mean an increase of up to 10%, which comes at its own cost.
Last but not least, a tyre running at anything other than the correct pressure will be liable to
irregular wear and need early replacement.
To counter-act these effects of under-inflated tyres, Michelin has installed BIBENDUM air
pumps at a number of points on the planet; they offer the chance, free of cost, to check tyre
pressure and adjust it if necessary. These large-sized ‘BIB pumps’ will be in evidence at every
Formula-e race; they will then be set up in each host city as a lasting sign that Michelin has
been there. Michelin is also setting up specialised workshops around the theme of future
mobility and getting ready to strengthen its presence in the E-village and at trackside to
educate people in the varied roles that tyres can play.
Life cycle of a tyre
Sustainable, eco-friendly mobility would mean nothing as far as tyres are concerned if there
were not a well-organised, effective recycling procedure in place. A tyre’s life cycle is pretty
straightforward: once the tyre is developed, tested and put on the open market, it is sold
around the world. Then, when professional services have picked it up, the tyre is collected by a
specialist company. Nowadays 100% of the tyres collected are recycled; all the materials used
in tyre manufacture are also recyclable themselves. The most common uses to which recycled
products are put are in making anti-noise barriers and, in some countries, pitches for sport.
Used tyres can also be pressed into service as fuel, in granule form, another eco-saving as
they then replace fuel oil, wood and coal.

08 – Formula-e and the Michelin Bibendum Challenge:
         working together to improve inner-city mobility

In its long-standing attachment to the cause of making motoring easier MICHELIN has
regularly raised the question of sustainable mobility in the highest circles in a bid to find
answers to the ongoing problem of population movements, especially in our inner cities.
Over-crowding of our inner cities, even those of modest size, is now a major and growing
headache. Our planet’s population continues to grow; there are more and more cars; urban
areas keep spilling over into suburban sprawl… all of which means that city centres are less
and less accessible to drivers because they are close to saturation point. At the same time,
public transport networks are increasingly unable to cope because they have not foreseen
such rapid spread.

MICHELIN Bibendum Challenge: all for one, one for all
This worldwide event, first run by MICHELIN 15 years ago, is designed to bring together
carmakers, component manufacturers, energy specialists, politicians and any other
institutions that can make a contribution through ideas or actions to sustainable mobility. It is
a ‘think and action tank’ aimed at generating new thinking on better ways of moving around
and putting words into action on the ground. The MICHELIN Bibendum Challenge has
already been seen in action in all four corners of the globe but in 2014 it is due to return to
China for its third visit (Chengdu, November 11-14). MICHELIN’S audience of invited
specialists will focus on several key themes, chief among them being the problem of city-
centre access, whether for residents, tourists or people going to their place of work. Another
dominant topic is that final delivery kilometre, i.e. the problem of getting goods into the very
centre of town where most of the shopping streets are located.

Formula-e: promoting electric vehicles and diversity
Some 80% of city-centre pollution is caused by 20% of the most heavily polluting vehicles.
Besides the need to reduce the age of the vehicle fleet – not only cars, but commercial and
delivery vehicles as well – that state of affairs highlights the fact that city-centre saturation
and vehicles at a standstill with engines running are responsible for high volumes of noxious
gas and CO2 emissions. So the only way to invert the rising graph of pollution is to make
vehicles cleaner and more modern, while at the same time developing public transport
networks that use cleaner fuel and are fit for the task in hand. The Formula-e Championship
is a superb ambassador for electric cars, now clearly the best form of urban transport. But if
infrastructures are put in place that work efficiently and encourage people to diversify (leave
the internal combustion engined-car outside town, continue by bicycle or on foot, by bus,
tram or electric car sharing, for example), then we can also reduce city-centre pollution for
the long term.
Michelin and Formula-e share a commitment to promoting alternative energy sources and
finding new solutions that will benefit mobility and eco-friendly transport.

09 – FIA Formula-e Championship:
                        a new class, a new following

The FIA Formula-e Championship goes where motor sport has rarely gone before: every
race will be run in a city centre, which presents several advantages – for competitors,
spectators and even for the environment.
Virtually every world championship event, be it a rally or a grand prix, takes place at venues
set outside town, to minimise noise disturbance for the locals, or on closed roads which
usually oblige the competitors to drive many kilometres on road sections. Not only that, but
these events require hundreds of thousands of people to move around, so it is not the racing
cars and their support crews that cause pollution but the large number of spectators on the
move.
Formula-e will be the FIA’s most carbon-neutral championship. Having the races in city
centres will naturally bring exposure to residents and spectators who won’t need to travel to
get to the race. And since these electric cars make no mechanical noise, peace and quiet
will be maintained.
Michelin is making its own contribution in the form of the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV.
Designed to last through a whole day on the track (practice, qualifying and race), whatever
the weather, this technological marvel will save Michelin’s logistics people from having to
carry too many tyres to each event. Fewer than 200 tyres will be required to send the 40
race-cars into the fray each race weekend.

e-villages for all, promoting sustainable mobility
Motor racing fans will follow the racing, that’s a given: but there will also be a large number
of spectators, not necessarily mad about motor sport but townspeople taking an interest in
technology and keen to check out this electric-powered racing. They might never have taken
the trouble to go to some remote race-track – but taking the racing to them, right in the city
centre, is a positive step. Michelin expects to make a whole new segment aware of the
issues around mobility while it explains everything the Group is doing to help the
environment. Beyond the commercial benefits, it will be a major opportunity to give people a
whole new insight into the French company and all the things it can do.
We should also point out that after each race the e-village will be the backdrop for a concert
to round off a spectacular day made possible by a new kind of high-level motor sport. Every
single spectator will have had the chance to find out more about what Michelin and the FIA
are doing to protect the environment and promote mobility, opening up new freedoms for the
next generation of motorists.

10 – How it all comes together:
Michelin Motorsport develops the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV

Developing a racing tyre is always something special, especially when the tyre in question is
being made to go on an electric racing car, which is still taking shape itself – and will be
taking part in the first FIA championship of its kind.
But Michelin relishes a technological challenge, knowing it has highly qualified people and
proven development procedures to fall back on.
The first step in designing the new MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV was to set up a development
group to oversee the project from within the Michelin Motorsport management structure. A
whole raft of specialist techniques came together to develop the tyre over a period of one
year. Each of the engineers brought a specific kind of expertise to the group, be it
architecture, design, chemistry, IT and more.
The group’s first task was to draw up a brief outlining the new tyre’s technological profile in
accordance with the FIA’s technical regulations. That document had to take a number of
parameters into account. First came the performance levels that the end-users (i.e., the
drivers in the Formula-e Championship) would expect in terms of grip, braking, rolling
resistance and durability. Next, the group figured out how to deal with climatic requirements
– rain or extremes of temperature. The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV was designed to provide
unprecedented versatility: it has a grooved tread as befits the first tyre to offer safety and
performance on wet or dry surfaces. Bear in mind that the layout of the e-Prix tracks (varying
kinds of tarmac, rail or tram tracks, cobblestones – these are city-centre circuits after all) was
still unknown at the time the tyre was being designed, while the technical specification of the
Spark Racing Technologies single-seater was also still being finalised. So a certain amount
of hypothetical work went into setting up the simulations that enabled Michelin’s engineers to
arrive at a first version of the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV.

IT helping the environment
Once the brief was fixed, the tyre could be designed. Yes, all tyres are round and black…
but there are still a lot of differences from one tyre to the next. Each tyre has four key factors
in its make-up: its internal structure, the raw materials used, the profile and the tread. Each
of those can differ wildly from one type of tyre to another, but they all have to be developed
in harmony – you simply cannot work on any one of them in isolation.
Michelin has always been a front-runner where eco-friendliness is concerned, using powerful
simulation software to try out various technical solutions for the tyre of the future rather than
producing hundreds of prototypes that would all need to be recycled in the long run. Michelin
software can simulate thousands of different driving situations bringing in every conceivable
combination of techniques in tyre architecture and tread. Not until the technological
‘package’ has been refined will a short production run of prototype tyres be considered
ahead of laboratory and track testing itself.

The final – crucial – phase
Prototype tyres will have been tested mechanically, in the first place, in the laboratory.
Safety is a prerequisite for Michelin, so the tyre’s robustness will have been checked by
applying forces and loadings that are far in excess of what they would need to absorb in
normal use. This bench testing will also have seen Michelin engineers weighing up the tyre’s
durability.

Once that is done, tyres are mounted on cars for testing by drivers nominated by Michelin.
For the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV, the testing on a Formula-e car in its final specification was
watched by the engineers in charge of the development project, assisted by experienced
drivers who could put the tyre through a detailed, conclusive examination.
The dynamic testing of the tyres covers a raft of parameters, both objective and subjective in
nature. MICHELIN Motorsport’s drivers kick-started that tricky phase by choosing a layout
that put road-holding in the spotlight, with each corner broken down into four zones: braking,
corner entry, apex and corner exit. Driver feel was then compared with accelerometer
readings to give the most reliable results available.
The final test session in the design process of the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV, staged last
April at the Issoire Auverdrive Circuit with all the technical partners of Formula-e in
attendance, saw four possible options tested before the final tyre choice was made for these
new race-cars.
Once that was done, production got under way at the Cataroux facility in Clermont-Ferrand,
France.

11 – Towards cleaner tyres:
         Michelin Performance and Responsibility (PRM)

Green tyres may not actually be green – but they really do exist. Protecting the environment
and reducing the ecological impact during the various stages of a tyre’s life are key issues for
Michelin, the end result being a tyre which can make its own contribution to energy saving.
If there is one element of the automotive world that really can do something for the
environment, the tyre is it. Improving any level of its own eco-system is of direct benefit to the
end-user.
Michelin adopts an eco-friendly approach at every phase of a tyre’s lifespan. Formula-e is the
perfect illustration of the Group’s environmental approach, which in turn is a central pillar of
its Michelin Performance and Responsibility strategy (PRM). For some years now the French
firm has had a strategy for sustainable development in place. Its basic principles govern
every aspect of its business activity in a cross-disciplinary approach that all employees are
keenly aware of and which Michelin invests in wholeheartedly.

PRM in Michelin tyres
Michelin is a global specialist tyre business; naturally, the Group’s major investment when it
comes to reducing environmental impacts centres on the main object of its activities – tyres.
Where Michelin is concerned, the environment is a fully-fledged component in the technical
specification drawn up for every tyre, i.e. the document which sets out a tyre’s parameters
and provides the engineers with a platform to work from.
Let’s take an example: when it came to developing the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV, Michelin
set out to make a tyre that would be usable on wet or dry tracks, despite the fact that running
on the same tyre at the two extremes of grip had proven practically impossible until now.
With these new tyres for Formula-e, Michelin also targeted and achieved the durability
required to cover the entire spread of each event: practice, qualifying and race. Those two
properties – versatility and durability – are essential when it comes to reducing the number of
tyres used in a race, and therefore the number produced, transported and then recycled after
use.
The amounts of raw materials that go into the production of a tyre also have a significant
environmental impact of their own. That is why Michelin made designing a new generation of
lighter tyres another of its priorities. The French company’s engineers kick-started a
revolution, developing new compounds and manufacturing processes which not only
maintain but actually improve tyre safety and performance levels at the same time as
realising a significant weight saving. The latest tyres supplied by the Clermont tyre
manufacturer for motorsport, and particularly for the World Endurance (WEC) and Rally
(WRC) Championships, are significantly lighter than their predecessors – in fact the 2014
LMP1 endurance prototype tyres are a full two kilogrammes lighter. Michelin managed that
reduction in bulk through a 15% reduction in the tyre’s size, without prejudice to safety,
performance or durability. In rallying, Michelin has just launched its new Pilot Sport range
which is half a kilo lighter per tyre than the previous generation. Bear in mind, too, that any
reduction in bulk helps fuel economy.
Rolling resistance is an area in which the Group has been investing heavily for more than 20
years now. A rolling tyre suffers deformation and heats up; the heat represents an energy
loss that is responsible for 20% of the fuel consumption in an internal combustion car and
30% in the case of an electric vehicle.

Michelin has used those 20 years to develop unique technologies that mean the French
company can offer manufacturers tyres that are ‘ready to wear’, meaning in turn that they
can lower their vehicles’ emission levels without making any mechanical changes
themselves. Formula-e gives Michelin the opportunity to continue its research and
development in this area and raise the bar even higher when it comes to the energy
efficiency of its tyres.

PRM in Michelin’s production processes
In parallel with its efforts to design tyres that are kinder to the environment, Michelin also
subjects all its manufacturing processes to close scrutiny as it looks for ways to improve.
Where racing tyres are concerned, and the new MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV in particular,
Michelin achieved significant gains through the use of the most advanced simulation tools.
Using simulation software and testing tools designed and made by the Group itself, the
French company can now develop a new tyre almost entirely in the laboratory. Not only does
that speed up the development process and cut reaction time, it also means a dramatic
reduction in the number of tyres that need to be produced for testing and the mileage needed
to analyse their behaviour. For Formula-e, a very few test sessions were enough to bring the
development process to its conclusion.
Logistics and organisation are two other areas in which Michelin has recently achieved
significant progress. The sheer worldwide scale of the Group, which has a presence in 170
countries, and its production and race tyre activities make for an ongoing process of
exchange, which in turn puts efficiency and carefully managed transport costs at a premium.
With Formula-e Michelin decided to put all the players in touch with each other through its
new ‘Bib-Space” internal network, a virtual space in which people can collaborate and share
documents without having to go anywhere.

Reduced emissions: that is the direct consequence of all Michelin’s efforts. Fewer tyres to
be made, to transport, to recycle; tyres that don’t devour as much energy; more efficient
logistics and structures; an industry right at the forefront of technology. The whole production
process that goes into a tyre, managed in an eco-friendly way, can bring about a reduction of
emission levels in the atmosphere. Beyond that, green tyres, like the MICHELIN Energy
Saver Plus with its ultra-low rolling resistance, help cars consume less fuel, which means
they emit less CO2 and fewer noxious gases into the environment.

12 – Logistics and structures:
     minimise environmental impact, maximise efficiency

Michelin has devoted considerable structural and logistical resources to achieve savings
both in time and in energy to limit its environmental impact: an eco-friendly approach with the
future very much in mind.
Being a global company like Michelin places enormous demands on communications:
departmental meetings involving two offices that are relatively close, major strategic
meetings involving management across several countries – every day brings the need to be
in touch. Teleconferences are nothing new, but they are no substitute for real contact, often
so important for getting to know each other better, and you can’t make presentations or
circulate documents that way either. To free up diary space and reduce transport costs while
helping to save energy, Michelin developed ‘Bib-Space’, a highly advanced internal
communications network where all the participants in a meeting can see each other, work on
shared files and circulate documents in total security.

Time is money, but that’s not all
Since it was introduced, ‘Bib-Space’ has brought major savings in both money and time, at
the same time helping to protect the quality of life enjoyed by those who use it and reducing
the impact the running of the business has on the environment. Being properly connected is
an eco-friendly imperative nowadays when you work in a multinational of the size of
Michelin, with 111,000 people across 170 countries.

Eco-friendly logistics
Michelin Motorsport’s logistics people are always one step ahead. The type of transport to
take tyres to sporting events is always decided well up-stream and keeps the number of
covers that have to be made and transported to the minimum. This approach fits in with the
cost-cutting efforts of the FIA, which reduces the tyre allocation to every competitor year on
year.
So it is up to Michelin Motorsport’s engineers, as part of this well-meaning drive, to develop
tyres that are ever more competitive, more versatile and durable. As part and parcel of the
MICHELIN Total Performance strategy, this approach not only saves on materials, but it also
lowers emissions stemming from the manufacture, transport, use and recycling of racing
tyres.
Formula-e is the perfect illustration of the fruits of all this effort: each race-car uses just four
tyres for the whole of an e-Prix day, practice, qualifying and race combined.