Tesla in Talks With Michelin To Test New Airless Tires (Michelin Says No)

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Update: While our original story sources mentioned that Florent Menegaux had begun talks with Tesla to test its Uptis airless tires, Michelin has since reached out to us and denied this. We are leaving the story up with this update at the top, and providing various sources for our readers. The original article is intact below:

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Michelin, one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers, recently confirmed in an interview with its CEO Florent Menegaux that it has begun talks about testing its Uptis airless tire technology on Tesla vehicles.

Michelin has so far been testing the Uptis tires on the Chevy Bolt and has also opened talks with GM for use on their EVs. So far, these tires are still all prototypes, so nothing for consumers just yet, but they could hit the market as early as the end of this year. Tesla has previously tested Goodyear’s airless tires in 2021.

Advantages of Uptis Tires

The Uptis (Unique Puncture-Proof Tire System) is a rather unique design that is airless, puncture-proof, and based on an open cell design.

Uptis essentially uses the strength of a unique composite, which has a rubber tread bonded to it. On the inner side of the tire is a network of flexible spokes that bend, and flex as required by road conditions and car weight.

When the tire rolls forward, it naturally flexes down and around small obstacles, providing far more flexibility than standard tires with air inside them. On top of that, they are uniquely puncture-proof, as there is no air to be lost if the tire rolls over a sharp object.

Michelin expects Uptis tires to last roughly 3 times longer than conventional tires, reducing tire waste and lowering emissions from tread wear. This will also help reduce the number of tires sent to scrapyards, contributing towards sustainable practices.

Advantages for Tesla

Uptis tires are also lighter and more aerodynamically efficient than regular tires – the open-cell design notwithstanding. Interestingly enough, many would think that the open cells would cause additional drag, but initial testing on EVs from Michelin has been “described as positive”.

If the tires truly do reduce drag, or at least cause similar amounts of drag to conventional tires, the reduced weight of airless tires could improve efficiency for EVs even further. This is a tire to watch if you’re interested in increasing your own Tesla’s range.

Menegaux also mentioned that these airless tires would likely be limited to “certain types of applications”, though he didn’t mention which application or why they’d be limited. It’s possible it could be limited to certain weather conditions or types of roads. They could possibly be a good fit for autonomous vehicles, like Tesla’s upcoming Robotaxi, which is set to be revealed on 8/8.

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Tesla's Robotaxi Event - We, Robot - Everything Announced

Sawyer Merrit on X

Did you miss Tesla’s biggest event since its inception? No worries, we have you covered.

We’ve got a straightforward and easy-to-digest recap below, split and organized by sections. Of course, we’ll dive into some of the bigger subjects in detail over the upcoming days, so stay tuned!

Event Info

• Tesla’s We, Robot event was centered on the future of autonomy

• 5 “neighbourhoods” were created

• Westworld offered Texas BBQ and the stage for the event

• Metropolis had arcade games, and the ability to take a swing at Cybertruck

• TSLA Theater had pizza and desserts, as well as a movie on a gigantic screen

• New York brought a block party with live music and street performers, as well as street snacks

• Finally, the last area was Merch – which, surprise – offered Tesla Merch, including gear, apparel, posters, and more

• Elon Musk arrived in style in a Robotaxi to kick off the event

Master Plan Part 4 Reference Poster

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General/Master Plan Part 4

• The event made multiple references to Master Plan Part 4, but we haven’t seen the official document yet

• Today’s transportation infrastructure is too expensive, not safe, and not sustainable

• 10 hours a week of use of consumer vehicles out of 168 hours a week

• Unsupervised Full Self Driving – Fall asleep and wake up at your destination

• Increased free time for humans

• Goal is to remove parking lots, as less will be needed in the future of autonomous vehicles

• Create green space in the cities we live in

AI Poster

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Robotaxi/Cybercab

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• The Cybercab has 2 doors, 2 seats, and is a 4-wheeler, as expected

• It has a front and rear lightbar, similar to Cybertruck

• Painted aluminum (not stainless steel)

• No rear or top glass

• No steering wheel or pedals

• Butterfly doors

• Large center screen

• Has large, hatch-like trunk

• 20 vehicles produced and ready at the event, with 30 additional Model Ys

• Autonomous vehicles will be 10x safer than humans

• Low cost for autonomous transit; $1/mi for buses, Cybercab around $0.2/mi ($0.4 after taxes and fees)

• Will be available for purchase

• Will cost below $30,000 USD

• One person will be able to take care of a small fleet easily

• Cybercab production begins before 2027

• Comes with inductive charging

• Tesla Social Media mentioned Fleet Management software

• Tesla showed off an automated cleaning system in the video, vacuuming the vehicle, wiping the seats and screens

• CyberCab will still be Vision-only, no need for radar or LiDAR

• Call it once, and its available for you all day, for either quick trips or long trips

Elon Musk Poster

Sawyer Merrit on X

RoboVan

• Tesla showed off a fully autonomous RoboVan with no front window

• Up to 20 people or can be set up for goods transport

• RoboVan has a Cyber aesthetic as well

• Large glass sliding doors

• Tesla seems to be going all-in on this aesthetic for its future vehicles

• RoboVan can be adapted to school bus or RV use

• RoboVan can also be adapted for personal use – this suggests it could be outfitted with a steering wheel and pedals

The CyberVan arriving

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AI and Hardware

• Unsupervised FSD in Texas and California in 2025, with Model 3 and Model Y

• Unsupervised FSD for S, X, and CT in the future

• AI has lived “a million lives” so it’s been trained on numerous odd situations

• Always pays attention and is always fully aware of its surroundings

• 10-30x safer than humans

• Focus on Tesla Vision – full autonomy, unsupervised for S, 3, X, Y, and CT

• Cybercab will have AI5, will have oversized compute compared to what’s required according to Musk

• Distributed inference compute brought up again

• No news on inductive charging for other vehicles

The Optimus Poster

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Optimus

• Optimus was brought out on stage again, walked with remote human assistance

• Attendees were allowed to interact with Optimus robots

• Optimus robots served drinks at the bar

• Expected to cost $20K-$30K USD

• Will eventually be an autonomous robotic assistant that can help with household tasks

• It can also be a humanoid friend, teacher, babysitter, etc.

• Elon mentioned the risks of AI Super Intelligence, and having to address it

• At the event, people could talk and interact with the Optimus units on the ground. Optimus movements were remotely assisted by humans. The robots voices also appear to have be humans that were in a remote location.

• Guests were not allowed to touch the Optimus units in the crowd

Another poster referencing Master Plan IV.

Jowua on X

If you missed the event, you can watch it below.

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Tesla 'We, Robot' Robotaxi Event: How and Where to Watch [Updated]

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Tesla’s Robotaxi event is coming up later today, and there’s lots of hype. It’s absolutely going to be a must-see event, so we’ve outlined how you can watch it tonight.

We’re even running a Robotaxi Event Prediction Contest – so go sign up to win some prizes from our fantastic sponsors.

If you weren’t one of the lucky lottery winners who managed to snag a ticket, there are a few ways to watch the Robotaxi event.

When

Tesla says the event will start at 10 PM EST or 7 PM PST. However, expect it to start fashionably late as usual. The agenda Tesla has provided is below.

Watch Live

The event is expected to be available on X, YouTube, and Tesla’s website. The links for X and YouTube are below. We’ll update this as the day goes along and Tesla adds additional sources.

• Watch the Robotaxi event live on X.

• Watch on YouTube (below)

Agenda

This is the agenda Tesla has provided. All times are PST.

3:00 PM: Parking Lot Opens

5:00 PM: Doors Open

5:30 PM: Check-In Begins

7:00 PM: Remarks

Watch in Tesla Showrooms

Tesla is also running events at its local showrooms worldwide. Many of these pop-up events have been organized by the Tesla showrooms or in conjunction with local Tesla Owner’s Club groups.

You can go to Tesla’s Events Page here and see if there are any showrooms open in your region. These events are in-person, and a good way to hang out with local Tesla fans and owners to watch one of the biggest events in Tesla’s history. If you don’t see an event listed, try calling your local Tesla showroom or contacting your local Owner’s Club. Other events may be running locally that you could attend.

Location

Warner Brothers Studios

3499 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 90068

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