Roborace announces Michelin as official tire sponsor

London – Roborace has named Michelin as its official tire partner, according to a news release by the French tire-maker on 15 Dec.

Michelin said it had been working “secretly” at its testing facilities with Roborace to develop “an exclusive solution for the ultimate ‘Robocar’”.

The care, designed by Daniel Simon, will feature next-generation Michelin road tires to be used in the series.

Roborace is the first dreiverless electric race where in autonomous cars compete in driving algorithms on Formula E tracks.

The first race is intended to take place during the 2016–17 Formula E season. Ten teams, each with two driverless cars, will compete in one-hour races over the full season.

“The tires are critical as they must be capable of handling the speeds and rigours of a new format of racing when the Roborace series begins,” said Michelin in its statement.

Michelin is the third global partner to be officially announced by Roborace, after Nvidia, which will provide Robocar's AI brain with Drive PX2 technology, and Charge, the smart electric truck maker which will supply all power electronics.

“We expect our partners to be bold and to believe in a driverless future where our cities are greener, safer, quieter and smarter in ways that improve everyday lives,” said Denis Sverdlov, CEO, Roborace.

“We are very excited to confirm our partnership with Roborace today. We have been following the championship’s progress very closely and have been testing privately with them for some time,“ said Pascal Couasnon, Michelin motorsport director.