In order to have as many sustainable materials in its vehicles as possible, for years Porsche has been counting on Michelin’s support to develop technologies to accelerate innovation.
Through its “Everything Sustainable” strategy, the tire manufacturer seeks to achieve its goal of 100% bio-based, renewable or recycled elements in production by 2050 and 40% by 2030.
Precisely for the next decade, Porsche plans for at least 80% of the new vehicles it markets to be electrically powered, and to achieve CO2-neutral emissions throughout the value chain and life cycle of its models.
A Powerful Car with Sustainable Tires
In this transition towards electric mobility, the Porsche GT4 ePerformance, which was presented to the public for the first time last June at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, is a racing prototype with which the German manufacturer is opening a path towards electric-powered vehicle racing for Porsche customers.
In this way, Michelin sees in Porsche’s electric vehicle racing program a perfect opportunity to accelerate its innovation work related to sustainable mobility, putting the focus on tires made from bio-based raw materials.
The Porsche GT4 ePerformance uses a 100% electric propulsion system that exceeds 735 kW (1,000 hp) of power in the qualifying configuration, and is capable of delivering a constant 450 kW (612 hp) for 30 minutes, the duration of a current Porsche Carrera Cup race.
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Environmentally Friendly Attributes
The revolutionary racing tires developed by Michelin for this prototype not only incorporate natural rubber and recycled carbon black from end-of-life tires, but also contain orange and lemon peel, pine resin, sunflower oil and recycled metal waste.
For more than two decades, Michelin and Porsche have been working together with a shared strategy: to use competition to develop technologies to accelerate innovation on the road.
Requests from major vehicle manufacturers offer Michelin good opportunities to showcase its expertise and advanced technologies, which are concentrated in the Michelin Pilot Sport EV, the first tire in the Michelin Pilot Sport family.
