Michelin Puts Puffy Sails on Cargo Ships
3rd October 2021
The white sailboat outside of Michelin Group’s Swiss office doesn’t have a sail at all. Instead, it has a wing. The puffy, inflatable structure towers over the vessel, resembling an enormous meringue with a spine of stiff peaks. At sea, it cuts through the wind like an airplane wing, sending the sailboat flying across the water. Now Michelin wants to fit the technology onto cargo ships. The goal is to harness wind energy to reduce the use of diesel fuel—and thus curb greenhouse gas emissions.
The question, of course, whether the additional expense is justified by the transportation cost saving.
I’d love to watch the cost accountants wrestle with what monetary value to give to Virtue Signaling.