On November 12, the 12th Michelin Challenge Bibendum was held in Chengdu International Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo Park. This forum, centering around the theme of “Drive the Innovation of Road Transport Centered on Promoting the Economic Growth and Optimizing the Quality of Urban Life”, gathered automobile manufacturers, public and private institutions, specialists and scholars, research institutions, government leaders, non-government organizations, etc. that leaded changes in the field of sustainable development.
This grand gathering provided the participants a platform to demonstrate and test the new solutions so as to make the transportation safer, cleaner, smoother and more convenient. All interested parties jointly committed to research and develop the potential projects to deal with all challenges from transportation and to realize the development of society and economy.
Meanwhile, Michelin Challenge Bibendum especially explored issues on the Five Reforms which were carried out to satisfy the social needs: establishment of stringent emission reduction target for carbon dioxide, arrangement of ultralow emission zone within the city, development of “Door to Door” passenger transportation solution, redesign of the last-mile delivery system and mobilisation of more public and private investments. Many innovative technologies displayed in the previous sessions of Michelin Challenge Bibendum have all been marketed by now. Nissan Motor Company once displayed a prototype vehicle equipped with lithium battery in the 1st Michelin Challenge Bibendum in 1998, and this technology is widely used in the mass-produced vehicles now. In 2007 Shanghai Michelin Challenge Bibendum, Renault SA released a vehicle, named Logan, discharging only 72g of carbon dioxide under normal driving conditions, which triggered a competition for low carbon emission products among all automobile manufacturers. During the 2010 Rio de Janeiro Michelin Challenge Bibendum, the ultra-low emission, that was 50g of ultra-low emissions per kilometer, for automobile had been verified. In 2011, Berlin further revealed the market potential of fuel cell.
Nowadays, Michelin Challenge Bibendum has developed into a prospective “think tank of ideas and action”. The research findings of many international exports over the past year has been collected together in the Green Book presented during the challenge in Chengdu. Michelin Challenge Bibendum has become a long-term platform committed to improving the future transportation and aimed to develop to be the global benchmark of this field.
Michelin Challenge Bibendum is known to be established in 1998 by Michelin for the celebration of the 100th birthday of Bibendum-Mr. Michelin Tire, aiming at providing a platform of display, test and exchange for interested parties of the transportation field. Through years of effort, Michelin Challenge Bibendum has developed to be a global event of sustainable transport and it unites the road interested parties all over the world around a same goal to join hands to find solutions to the challenges arising from the increasingly crowded road traffic.