Tires Start Catch-Up With Connected Car
Tires are joining the data gathering sensor array of future vehicles as one of a vehicle’s most crucial moving parts.
That’s the strategy of Finnish tire manufacturer Nokian which is launching a new fleet focused tire system called Intuitu. This system hopes gather to digital real-time data to share with the vehicle’s operators whether in the car or at fleet management level back at headquarters.
The tire system is claimed to combine sensor-equipped smart tires with a mobile application that records the sensor data from tires, keeping the user informed with the vital tire pressure and temperature data. Nokian Tyres Intuitu is based on IoT sensors installed in the tires transmitting data to the application running on a mobile device and cloud-based data storage. The system does not require any modifications to the vehicle itself – just the tires with sensors and the mobile device. Toni Silfverberg, head of sales and marketing at Nokian Tyres, said: “We have aimed to make the system plug & play. You just buy the tires, install the application and you are good to go.”
The system will be rolled out initially into the agricultural automotive world where it hopes to improve the efficiency of farming and logistics especially in terms of growing concerns over producing more food for growing populations while reducing CO2 emissions. “The optimal tire pressure prevents damage to the soil, which can improve crop yields”, says Silfverberg. “It is also linked to the tire rolling resistance, which has a direct effect to fuel consumption.”
— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_
