MICHELIN : Pilot Sport EV2 ready for Formula E’s grand finale in Montreal

After two races in New York City, USA, on July 15-16, the 2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship is poised to conclude in style with the last two clashes of the campaign in Montreal, Canada, on July 29-30. Although this will be the competition's first visit to the Quebec city, which is this year celebrating its 375th anniversary, Formula E Holdings has signed a six-year deal with Montreal's mayor Denis Coderre and two more races there already appear on the calendar for 2017/2018, again at the end of July.

This weekend's all-electric action will be hosted by the city's central Ville-Marie district where a 14-turn, 2.75-kilometre circuit has been devised. It will run along rue René Lévesque (where the pits will be located), before passing in front of the Maison de Radio-Canada building and heading up avenue Viger to rue Berri which will complete the rectangle. The races on Saturday and Sunday will both start at 4:03pm local time.

'The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2 faces a conventional street circuit made up of roads used daily by thousands of Montrealers,' notes Serge Grisin, manager of Michelin's FIA Formula E Championship programme. 'Fresh asphalt has been laid in places, but there are sure to be some slippery portions, especially where there are painted road markings. That said, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2 was developed specifically for this series and for this type of track, so it will be in its element. This is obviously its first time in Canada, which means its versatility is likely to come into its own. The weather is expected to be sunny throughout, with temperatures ranging from 19°C to 28°C. Given the variety of conditions our tyre has encountered since the start of the 2016/2017 season, we believe it will be perfectly up to the job in Montreal.'

The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2

Michelin is one of the founding forces behind the creation of the FIA Formula E Championship and its objective from the outset has been to deliver a single, durable tyre that is both resistant to wear and capable of racing in wet and dry conditions alike. The first-generation MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV (EV = Electric Vehicle) was developed especially for Formula E and was the first tyre of its type to be conceived for a world class single-seater racing championship. Thanks to its patterned tread and interior diameter of 18 inches, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV bears a striking resemblance to a road tyre, yet it packs several advanced technologies which, after being evaluated in racing, will go on to benefit the drivers of everyday vehicles.

Indeed, a number of Michelin road tyres already make use of the lessons that have been learned in Formula E. The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2, which made its debut at the opening round of the 2016/2017 championship, takes energy efficiency in motor racing another step forward. Thanks to the use of new technologies and advanced materials, its rolling resistance is 16 percent lower, with no detriment to its other performance-related characteristics. The front and rear tyres also mark weight savings of 1.1kg and 1.4kg respectively, which equates to a total gain of 5kg per set of four. That in turn means the use of some 2,500kg less raw materials over the course of the season and the equivalent of 250 fewer tyres to be transported around the world. The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2 is motor racing's most efficient tyre.

Sizes:

24/64-18 (front) / 27/68-18 (rear), in accordance with the system used by Michelin Motorsport, i.e. tread band width (cm) / exterior diameter (cm) - rim diameter (inches). This is equivalent to 245/40R18 / 305/40R18 using the road tyre system, i.e. overall tyre width (mm) / aspect ratio (%) / rim diameter (inches). The letter 'R' indicates that it is a radial tyre.

The five reasons for Michelin's involvement in Formula E

1. The issue of mobility: Michelin's signature - 'A better way forward' - expresses the quest for enhanced mobility that has driven the company's staff ever since it was founded in 1889. The emphasis Formula E places on mobility makes it a natural fit for the French tyre manufacturer.
2. City-centre racing: Formula E meetings are unique inasmuch as free practice, qualifying and the race itself are all held on the same day. This compact format and the fact that the action takes place in city centres enable the championship to reach out to a new type of audience who are drawn more by curiosity than because they are diehard motorsport fans. Meanwhile, the free e-Villages set up next to the circuits provide an additional opportunity to explain the vital role tyres play in the realm of sustainable mobility.
3. Media coverage: Formula E has its sights set firmly on the future and provides the Michelin Group with valuable visibility across the world. The Paris ePrix will undoubtedly be the round of the 2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship that generates the most media coverage but the series is followed closely by the specialist and non-specialist press the world over.
4. Technology transfers: Michelin uses all the forms of motorsport in which it is active as laboratories for the development of new technologies that are ultimately carried over to its road tyres. Formula E, which stars single-seater cars powered by all-electric power units, provides a chance to work on optimising energy efficiency and reducing rolling resistance.
5. Promote the role played by tyres: on average, between 20 and 25 percent of the fuel consumed by an internal combustion-engined vehicle is used to overcome the rolling resistance of its tyres. As an energy-efficiency specialist, Michelin has succeeded in developing a road tyre with very low rolling resistance that increases the driving range of cars. The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2 takes the principle a step further and, in identical conditions, allows today's Formula E cars to complete one extra lap compared with the championship's previous tyre. In the case of everyday electric passenger cars like the Renault ZOE, fitting Michelin tyres can extend driving range by up to six percent.