PRESS INFORMATION

Michelin and the 2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship

THE MICHELIN PILOT SPORT EV2: PUSHING OUT THE ENERGY-EFFICIENCY

ENVELOPE IN MOTORSPORT

2

Because of its interior diameter (18 inches, a first for a world class single-seater competition), it resembled a mass-market tyre, while its Michelin Premium Touch Technology ‘velours’ sidewall markings – a hallmark of high-end tyres – depicted its size (front: 245/40R18 / rear: 305/40R18) which matches that of certain road cars. Again like a road tyre, it featured a patterned tread, as well. In spite of appearances, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV was an out-and-out racing tyre, classified as ‘confidential’ by Michelin due not only to its compound, but also to its construction and certain technologies which, although kept secret today, could well be carried over to road tyres in two or three years’ time.

For a racing tyre, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV is consequently unique. And, in another world first for this type of car, it was designed to compete in either dry or wet weather and still be capable of covering an entire ePrix race day. Indeed, drivers are only authorised to use a single set of Michelin Pilot Sport EVs for free practice, qualifying and the ePrix itself. Only two spares (one for the front and one for the rear) are authorised, but even these tyres must come from the stock carried over from the previous race.Not only has this approach considerably reduced the championship’s environmental impact but it also serves as an efficient means to promote sustainable mobility, a message embodied by Formula E which stars all-electric racing cars competing in the middle of city centres.

2014: The original MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV revolutionises single-seater motor racing

Michelin was a founding partner of the FIA Formula E Championship when the inaugural series kicked off in September 2014. It revolutionised single-seater racing at the time with the introduction

of the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV.

3

Season 2: The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV in a class of its own

Michelin Motorsport’s engineers are forever exploring ways to improve the French firm’s competition tyres and, from the outset, an evolution of the original Pilot Sport EV was naturally envisaged for

Formula E’s second season (2015/2016). However, in light of the exceptional performance delivered by the tyre in the course of Season 1, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) asked

Michelin to maintain the same specification until the end of the second championship, thereby enabling the teams to focus on the significant changes made possible by revised technical regulations (motor,

transmission systems, rear suspension pick-up points) with a constant baseline as far as their tyres were concerned.

A single type of tyre per race

One of the major strengths of the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV is its ability to deliver outstanding performance whatever the weather. Hot or cold, wet or dry, competitors can use the same set of tyres throughout race day (free practice, qualifying and the ePrix all take place on the same date) in complete safety. A knock-on effect of this is that it allows Michelin to manufacture and transport fewer tyres for each meeting (200 tyres for 40 cars), a benefit which further reduces the championship’s environmental footprint.

4

Season 3: The new MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2, taking energy efficiency to a new level

The notion of energy efficiency is one of the founding principles of Formula E and, when it comes to tyres, the target is to minimise rolling resistance. More than 25 percent of the energy consumed

by vehicles (fuel or electricity) is dedicated to overcoming rolling resistance. Reducing the latter, therefore, extends driving range with no detriment to any other factors. In the FIA Formula E Cham-

pionship, where the drivers’ success is founded on their ability to generate and store energy in their batteries, this is clearly a key consideration.

Ongoing work by Michelin Motorsport’s engineers over the last two years and longer has led to impres-sive results. The rolling resistance of the new MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2 is 16 percent lower than that of

its predecessor. The benefit is a substantial energy savings which equate directly to extended range. Wit-hout even taking the improvements made to the cars into account, this gain would have allowed the drivers to complete an additional lap in 2015/2016!

High performance, fewer raw materials

Michelin, which is constantly at the cutting edge of tyre technology, makes a point of taking forward all the factors that influence tyre performance simultaneously in accordance with its Michelin Total Performance plan which applies to all of the French firm’s motors-port activities, including Formula E. The mission of the engineers tasked with developing the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2 was to lower rolling resistance while maintaining the same levels of longevity and grip performance as before.

“Our work focused on improving energy efficiency, even though the original MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV excelled in this domain,” notes Serge GRISIN, the manager of Michelin’s Formula E programme. “Thanks to the use of new technologies, we have succeeded in reducing rolling resistance while at the same time keeping the same performance levels with regard to the other factors that influence competitiveness.”

5

Data and impressive results

Thanks to the use of new technologies and advanced materials, the latest-generation MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2 is a genuine high-performance tyre. Another prowess is to have shaved 1.1kg and

1.4kg off the weight of the front and rear tyres respectively for a total saving per car (two fronts, two rears) of 5kg. Given that the latest FIA regulations have lowered the minimum weight of the cars

(including the driver) by 8kg from 888kg to 880kg, the 11-percent weight-saving per set of four tyres achieved thanks to the work of Michelin Motorsport’s engineers has clearly facilitated the mission

of their colleagues who work for the Formula E teams. Not only that, but this gain is of benefit to the environment, too, since fewer raw materials need to be consumed, shipped and recycled. Meanwhile,

in addition to its lighter weight and lower rolling resistance, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2 gets up to temperature more quickly and delivers superior grip on wet roads, proof that less can effectively mean more!

-16% OF ROLLING RESISTANCE

=

=+2 KM

RANGE+

+1 LAP b

6

Economies of scale

The saving of 5kg per car in terms of unsprung weight is significant in itself. However, when the entire grid of 40 cars is taken into account, the figure amounts to 200kg per race. Over the season,

that’s equivalent to an overall gain of some 2,500kg, or 250 fewer tyres. And that in turn equates to one-and-a-half races!

Motorsport as a laboratory

In motorsport, one of the keys to success is the ability to collect and analyse data in order to understand the performance of a car. Accordingly, like their predecessors, each MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2 has an

RFID chip (Radio Frequency Identification Device) chip embedded in its side wall. Above all, this makes tyres traceable and allows the FIA to verify that the drivers are using the tyres they have been allocated.

The first road tyre to have benefited from the lessons learned on the race track with the Pilot Sport EV is the MICHELIN Pilot Sport 4 which is available for cars with rim diameters of between 17 and 20 inches.

After two successful seasons of electric single-seater racing, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV has handed over to a second generation of the tyre that is not only lighter and more efficient but also just as competitive.

-5 KG FOR 4 MICHELIN PILOT SPORT EV2

=

=-2 500 KG

FOR A CHAMPIONSHIPT

-250 TIRES TO MANUFACTURE, TRANSPORT AND RECYCLE

7

Three questions to Pascal Couasnon, Director, Michelin Motorsport

What is your analysis of how the 2015/2016 FIA Formula E Championship went?

It is extremely positive! The first two years of the FIA Formula E Championship showcased the quality and relevance of the

work that was carried out by the staff at Michelin Motorsport. Our tyres delivered consistently high performance, irrespec-

tive of wear-rates, whatever the temperature and whatever the weather. In keeping with our standard practice, though,

that didn’t prevent us from carrying out development work at the same time on a replacement for the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV in readiness for Season 3.

What are the specific strengths of the new Michelin Pilot Sport EV2?When the FIA Formula E Championship was created, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV revolutionised the question of tyres in motor racing. The package of its patterned tread, interior diameter of 18 inches and longevity was a first for a world class single-seater series. When developing the second generation of this tyre, we worked in the same direction and the result is a product which takes us a step further forward in terms of energy efficiency. Formula E is a discipline where success is dependent on the drivers’ ability to regenerate energy and store it in the cars’ batteries, so this is clearly a crucial factor! The Season 3-generation of cars will consequently benefit from extended range and no doubt enhanced performance. During pre-season testing at Donington, England, this summer, the drivers were swift to praise the performance of the Pilot Sport EV2. The reigning champion Sébastien Buemi went as far as to say that its increased efficiency will even contribute to the show put on for the spectators!

How important is the FIA Formula E Championship for the Michelin group?The spirit behind the FIA Formula E Championship fits perfectly with that of Michelin, since the idea is to achieve more while consuming less energy and fewer raw materials. The new Michelin Pilot Sport EV2 concurrently pushes out the envelope further still in terms of the different performance-related criteria. We are proud to have prolonged our involvement in this forward-looking series until the end of the 2018/2019. It puts us in a position where we will be able to carry over the technological lessons learned in Formula E to our road tyres.

October 9, 2016 Hong Kong (China)November 12, 2016 Marrakech (Morocco)February 18, 2017 Buenos Aires (Argentina)April 1, 2017 Mexico City (Mexico)May 13, 2017 MonacoMay 20, 2017 Paris (France)June 10, 2017 Berlin (Germany)July 1, 2017 Brussels (Belgium)July 15-16, 2017 New York (USA)July 29-30, 2017 Montreal (Canada)

THE 2016-2017 FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR

8

TECHNICAL DATATHE MICHELIN PILOT SPORT EV2

• Developed specifically for the FIA Formula E Championship

• The first 18-inch single-seater racing tyre

• The first single-seater racing tyre capable of competing in dry and wet conditions

• The first tyre capable of lasting an entire race meeting

• Size (front/rear): 24/64-18 / 27/68-18, 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.

• Width (front/rear): 245mm / 305mm • Tread width (front/rear): 240mm /

270mm • Side wall height (front/rear): 98mm / 122mm (i.e. 40 percent of tread width)• Exterior diameter: 18 inches• Weight (front/rear): 8.8kg / 10.9kg • Type of tread pattern: asymmetric, non-directional• Usage: circuits, street circuits, asphalt, concrete, wet or dry weather• Number of tyres taken to each race: 200 (160 new tyres + 40 from the

previous race). • Weight saving (compared with the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV): 1.1kg front /

1.4kg rear• Weight saving per set of four tyres: 5kg (11 percent)• Rolling resistance: lowered by 16 percent (equivalent to more than 2km, or one lap).

Didier Laurent – didier@autopressclub.com – Phone: +33.6.75.60.50.62Alessandro Barlozzi – alessandro.barlozzi@fr.michelin.com – Phone: +33.6.42.23.55.93