After nine year since Michelin first announced the Tweel in 2005, they are finally mass producing it. Michelin recently announced that it is dedicating a new factory in Piedmont to the Tweel’s development. It’s the world’s first mass production of airless tires and could be a milestone in the tire history if it will be successful.
What’s the deal with the Tweel? The name is combination of the words wheel and tire. The tweel can never be punctured nor go flat, no need to monitor air pressure or worry about a blowout. It’s really a revolutionary tire when you think about these advantages. However we still have to wait for more years to use it on passenger cars because Michelin is only focusing on off road vehicles right now such as front-end loaders called skid steers.
Michelin has dedicated $50 million to launch the factory in a 135,000 sq.ft. plant on Griffin Rd in Piedmont and there are more than 100 staff members working on Tweel production.
