Spotlight USA: We Were Invited to Michelin’s First Sustainability Summit at Sonoma Raceway

With a select group of journalists and automotive media on hand, top executives from Michelin's North American operation mingled with the personnel vital to spreading the word about the brand's recent advancements in sustainable tire technology. With the historic Sonoma Raceway in California serving as the venue, the time had come for Michelin to prove their drive towards carbon neutrality and product sustainability wasn't just conjecture. Through a star-studded executive panel headlined by Alexis Garcin, President and CEO of Michelin North America, we got a chance to hear the story right from the proverbial horse's mouth.

autoevolution was fortunate enough to be on hand for this landmark moment in Michelin's history. It's a period where the world's leading manufacturer of automotive and aerospace tires must lead the way towards a more sustainable future, lest some other group do it first. With this in mind, Michelin North America's Sustainability Director Kara Fulcher had quite the task ahead of her as she walked onto the stage at a private suite a stone's throw from the on-site race track. Thankfully, Fulcher had some help from Michelin's corporate allies.

With representatives from Lucid, Daimler North America, and the Stellantis-endorsed Symbio hydrogen fuel-cell manufacturer on hand to drive home the extent of Michelin's devotion to sustainability, all the bases were definitely covered. Through the two-and-a-bit-hour presentation, Michelin made sure to fill most of that time, showcasing each project their R&D team was undertaking to ensure their products had a much-reduced impact on the global environment. Oh, did we mention there was a Lucid Air Sapphire on Michelin EV-ready tires just chilling in the front entrance to the conference? More on that later.

From advancements in the rubber compound of their tires to the materials in their construction being 40 percent recycled across the board by 2030, the two new tires, one for cars and one for trucks, flanking the panel that day were legitimately state-of-the-art. But even beyond tires, Michelin made an effort that day to show they have their hands in more than one sustainability project. Novel initiatives like the WISAMO sailing attachment that boosts the speed and fuel efficiency of otherwise-thirsty cargo ships and a culinary showcase by a newly-minted Michelin Guides Green Star-rated restaurant following the end of the post-presentation question panel drove the point home in ways customers and shareholders alike can be proud of.

The post-conference luncheon in question was spectacular in its own right. With catering provided by Pomet in nearby Oakland, California, our genuine farm-to-table, pre-track fine dining experience was a delicious capstone on what was already a very eventful morning. And no, I'm not just saying that because getting me to load up on salad is like getting a Tesla to run on diesel. But that rouge wheat berry salad with late-season citrus, feta, and herbs was that darn delicious. The rest of the meal was phenomenal as well.

You might find it odd that Michelin loaded us up with grub before driving some EVs around Sonoma Raceway. But in fairness, you couldn't have gotten us to wait 30 minutes first if you paid us. After leaving the dining area and heading outside to the track, we were greeted by a suite of exhibits and displays that showcased even more of Michelin's sustainability-minded initiatives. Items like a large John Deere tractor on advanced Michelin Ultra Flex tires with a state-of-the-art PTG central tire inflation system for optimal farming work mingled with an all-electric Freightliner e-Cascadia on chunky Michelin XLEZ+ tires and the iconic Freightliner Supertruck II prototype.

A lucky few even got to drive the electric e-Cascadia up and down an auxiliary road along the side of the track while Michelin engineers and other personnel helped demonstrate the other exhibits on display. One of them is a Michelin truck tire that evolves almost like a Pokémon as it ages. Through channel marks within the tire forming as layers of material are ablated away, a tire that might've only lasted a short while on long-haul trucks can have its life greatly extended. It all served as a fitting aperitif for what Michelin had in store out of the track.

We're talking about a Mercedes-AMG EQS, a Porsche Taycan, a Genesis GV60, and even a perfectly normal base-model Ford Explorer wearing a set of tires with 42 percent of its build materials coming from recycled sources, more than ever before. With our lead driver taking up the front in a Tesla Model 3, gradually upping the speed as we made our way around the Sonoma long track, there was a sense that each vehicle we were given to drive benefitted from the supreme hardware in the tire department on hand.

Nowhere else was this profound upgrade in rubber more apparent than the Explorer, of all things. Even as this nearly 5,000 lb hunk of American steel bumbled its way down the track, not a single time did it feel like the tires were going to let up on the grip. No matter how much they screeched, it wasn't all that difficult to keep up with the sporty EVs at the front of the pack if you were bold enough to mash the throttle enough. When mounted on legitimately capable sports cars, the fun was dialed up even further.

The AMG EQS and Porsche Taycan benefit spectacularly from high-performance Michelin rubber. It was to the point that both vehicles felt like they were riding on rails as I flung them around the corners and straightaways at Sonoma. Whether sustainable or not, Michelin tires are still the cream of the crop. It just so happens these are, in fact, the most environmentally sustainable synthetic automotive tires ever sold in North America.

The day was all capped off by the same Lucid Air Sapphire we saw earlier blitzing around the track with a professional racing driver at the wheel. With up to three journalists taking up seat space in the front and rear, the added weight didn't seem to bother this 1,200-plus horsepower leviathan out on the track. With a set of the stickiest Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires money can buy to work with, this all-wheel-drive hyper EV was able to put all its power down with an effortlessness that felt like a Nissan Leaf pulling into a Costco parking lot for the third time this week.

The end result was a fair few shaken stomachs and sore neck muscles from the considerable G-force load put on our squishy journalist bodies, nowhere near used to the kind of straight high-performance battery EVs can get up to these days. Whichever way you slice it, a blitz of the track is perhaps the fastest EV sedan on Earth was the perfect way to cap off a landmark afternoon for Michelin. In some ways, it was a landmark day for automotive journalism in general.

Our ride home was capped off by a night's stay at the fabulous Carneros Resort and Spa is near Nappa, California, the heart of wine country. A venue that also happens to be sustainability certified, Michelin Guides-recommended establishment. But for all the fancy cars, fast race tracks, and delicious fine dining, did it really feel like Michelin is making a genuine effort towards a more sustainable future? Well, even the world's largest tire company can't do it on their own.

But with their fingers in so many different facets of the automotive and aerospace sectors, it's companies like Michelin that will hopefully get other companies to follow suit. If there ever is a second Michelin Sustainability Summit, rest assured this will be the key talking point going forward. Many thanks to the Michelin team for inviting us to this historic event.