Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Michelin Literaly Reinvents the Wheel

The Active Wheel System

Before Michelin began wrapping halos of rubber around the wheels of our cars, the hoops were made completely from wood -- horse and buggy style. That's what we call a serious innovation, and the French tire maker has got plenty of ideas to keep it at the forefront of rolling technology. The latest bit of high-tech kit revolving out of Michelin's design department is known as the Active Wheel system. Two motors, one to propel the car and another for the integrated suspension system, sit inside the hub and allow the entire drivetrain to fit neatly enclosed at each corner.

This innovative design would potentially allow for an amazingly diverse set of platforms that could be engineered to accept the same set of shoes. Depending on the size of the actual Active Wheels used, the technology could be applied to virtually any type of car. With so much going on in just the rolling-stock, it should come as no surprise that Michelin is looking for partners to help offload some of the rest of the car's design and has just signed an agreement with CITIC Guoan Mengguli Corp. in China. Important bits like the lithium-ion battery development will be carried out in China where test-mules equipped with lithium-powered Active Wheels are already running around city streets.


The Venturi Volage


The Michelin Active Wheel inaugurates a new era in road transportation in which a car's road, safety, energy and environmental performance achieve unprecedented levels. This is because of a miniature drive engine and an electrical suspension system incorporated into the wheel. These technologies developed by Michelin have made it possible to completely rethink the car.

The most advanced illustration of this achievement is the new Venturi Volage, which is being unveiled in a world premiere at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. Fitted with the Michelin Active Wheel, the car is a roadster that is well ahead of its time. And with good reason... With its innovative design that is free of all constraints (like the need to house an engine) and its electrical drive motor, the Venturi Volage delivers outstanding road performance, safety and comfort-all in an environmentally friendly vehicle.




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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

YO IBN WHATS GOOD MAN

I GOT SOMETHIN TO SAY

THE DAY AFTER THE AUCKLAND CONCERT I WAITED OUTSDE THE WESTIN HOTEL TO GET AN AUTOGRAPH OR PHOTO WITH KANYE.

I SAW YOU COMIN IN ON YOUR SKATEBOARD AND I WAS LIKE O SHIT THATS IBN. I CHECK HIS BLOG A COUPLE OF TIMES A WEEK. MAYBE I CAN SAY WHATS UP, TALK WITH HIM AND HE COULD HELP ME MEET YE. BUT U RAN AWAY DUDE AND GOT KANYES GOON TO GET HOTEL SECURITY ON US?? WTF YO

ME AND MY BROTHER WERE THE ONLY FUCKEN FANS FROM THE SHOW THAT CAME TO GET AN AUTOGRAPH CAUSE WE THE BIGGEST FANS. WEVE LISTENED TO KANYES SHIT FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS. I BEEN WAITIN THAT LONG TO MEET KANYE. BUT THATS HOW YALL TREAT FANS. FUCK IM THE ONLY ONE HERE WHO EVEN KNOWS WHO YOU ARE.

AT LEAST I GOT TO TALK WITHN TONY. HES COOL. I GOT HIS AUTOGRAPH AND TALKED WITH HIM. HE EVEN TOLD HOTEL SECURITY TO GO AWAY AFTER THEY CAME UP TO ME ASKED ME TO LEAVE AND SAID WE DONT ALLOW HOODLUMS HERE. HOODLUMS! WHAT THE FUCK IS A HOODLUM? A KID, A FUCKEN FAN WITH ICE CREAM, RALPH LAUREN AND HARE JORDAN 7S. MAN FUCK THAT SHIT. THATS NO DIFFERENT FROM HOW YALL DRESS IS IT??

FOREAL KANYES GOON IS A MOTHERFUCKIN BITCH. I SAW HIM POINTIN AT US YELLIN TO HOTEL SECURITY TO TELL US TO FUCK OFF. WE WAS IN THE LOBBY GETTIN A DRINK!! SMH MAN... WHO IS HE ?!
WHEN I MAKE IT BIG,AND IM WORKIN WITH MICHAEL JACKSON AND IF ISEE THAT FUCKIN GOON IF KANYES STILL RELEVANT IMA TELL THAT GOON THAT HE IS A FUCKIN PIECE OF SHIT WHO NEEDS TO GO TO JENNY CRAIG

HEY WELL THATS MY RANT MAN AS KANYE SAYS

IDK WHO YALL THINK YALL ARE TO STRAIGHT PLAY FANS LIKE THAT BUT HEY THATS COOL. IMA QUIT LISTENIN TO KANYE NOW AND LISTEN TO REAL LEGNEDS, WHO CAN ACTUALLY SING AND DANCE LIKE MICHAEL MUTHAFUCKIN JACKSON.

PEACE

FERRARi MURAKAMi said...

Yo Kid Brother, I didn't tell ANYBODY to do ANYTHING, and I definitely didn't "run away from you". Were you the kid with the Ice Cream T, the grey hoodie and the Bugs Bunny Jordan 7s? If that was, I saw you, you had on a fresh outfit homie. I was coming from the Victoria Skatepark that morning, and WALKED into the hotel so I could take a shower, pack, and get ready to get on our flight to Wellington, because we run a pretty tight schedule over here. I'm actually sorry you got treated like that, but me, or Kanye had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with that. I don't tell our security or the hotel staff what to do. Don't come @ me bogus and try to dis Kanye because of what someone else did to you, dog! Our security guard is a little overzealous sometimes, and we are always telling him to calm it down, but he had gotten into it with hotel security the night before because they were trying to kick HIM out of the hotel because he was just chilling in the lobby. I guess he was trying to prove a point to the hotel staff, and you were the victim of that. What happened that morning really didn't have anything to do with you, but I'm sorry that you got involved in it...

Anonymous said...

Hey I appreciate you replying man. Thats decent

Yeah that was me.

Thanks for explaining the story. I understand that yall are busy. I guess I was a bit harsh.

But thats just beacuse Im such a big fan. Kanyes been my one of my idols for the past five years. I check his blog, your blog, DCs blog; talk with Tony, Glc, 88 Keys and Cons on myspace and aim.
Me and my brother were the only ones that made an effort to show up to finally meet yall. I didnt expect to be made to feel like a punk or "hoodlum".

I get yall are busy to an extent but all I was expectin was half a minute. You cant have been that busy.

But look I guess I made a mistake blaming you. Im cool with you and with Kanye. Im still listenin to 808s. But I am not cool with the body guard. That dude obviously doesnt understand that fans are part of the entertainment business. Hes shows no respect or intelligence.

But yea. Thanks man. Peace