Edouard seemed destined for a career as an artist, but around 1888 he and his brother Andre returned to Clermont-Ferrand in order to try to save the failing family business, then a manufacturer of agricultural tools, drive belts and hoses.

The invention proved its worth in the Paris–Brest cycle event organized by the newspaper Le Petit Journal in September 1891,[1] and Michelin quickly adapted his inflatable tyres for use on motor vehicles, of which France was becoming the world's leading producer.

Success came rapidly, and already in 1896 approximately 300 Paris taxis were running on Michelin pneumatic tyres.

Nevertheless, by the time he died he had built Michelin into a major industrial force, with many "firsts" in wheel and tyre technology to its credit.

[1] His great-grandson, a former CEO and managing partner of the Michelin Group who died on 26 May 2006 in a boating accident, was also named Édouard.