Intelligent tyres are nearer to being standard than many think
Goodyear is anticipating big changes in the fleet tyre market in Australia. It believes that fleets will use intelligent tyres commonly in the near future, especially as the move toward car sharing and autonomous vehicles gathers pace. Is Goodyear right?
The role of tyres is changing
A few weeks ago, we published an article that discussed how fleet tyre management is set to move to autopilot. Goodyear had just shown its concept tyre, the Oxygene, at the Geneva Motor Show. Although Goodyear cannot be certain of when such tyres will be commercialised, it seems that Goodyear is planning for sooner rather than later.
At the nationwide launch of its Assurance TripleMax 2 tyre in Victoria, Raelene Smith, head of shopper merchandise and market insights at Goodyear and Dunlop Tyres, said “We’re seeing new technology in cars today. We’re seeing people with self-driving fleets always looking at autonomous vehicles and how they work. So, we envisage that, at some stage, the role of tyres will change.”
The new role of fleet tyres
Fleet tyres – and those on car shares – have a very different role to play. Their job will be to optimise longevity and safety.
A vehicle which is shared between multiple drivers is unlikely to receive the attention of a personal vehicle. The last thing people are likely to check will be the tyres. It’s not their vehicle, and, even though from a safety aspect you should check your tyres before setting out, people without a real vested interest are unlikely to do so.
Therefore, from the point of view of safety and optimising tyre life, fleet tyres will need to be ‘intelligent’.
What are intelligent tyres?
Intelligent tyres collect information through sensors in the tyre and then provide this information to you. This information could tell you about tyre and tread wear, load and temperature, as well as tyre pressure. This information is then used to optimise performance.
The sensors can also relay information about road conditions, too, enabling fleet vehicles to ‘talk’ to each other, and helping fleets manage routes more effectively.
As well as increasing tyre life, this technology should help to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
To recap, the benefits include:
- Longer tyre life
- Greater safety on the road because of better information about road and tyre conditions
- Better fuel consumption and lower fuel costs
Little wonder that the intelligent tyre sales are expected to hit more than 400 million by 2026.
When will intelligent tyres become mainstream?
The new technology available in new vehicles today is bringing intelligent tyres closer, faster. Autonomous fleets are approaching, and the role of tyres will change.
Goodyear has partnered with Tesla to work on improvements. It has also rolled out a ride-sharing service with intelligent tyres to optimise fleet performance in the United States. These are early-stage developments leading to greater access to intelligent tyres as the first choice.
When I think of how fast these tyres may become mainstream, it makes me look back at the replacement of leaded fuel with unleaded; slow to start, but as more cars were built to run on unleaded, the new fuel snowballed. In a few years, as intelligent tyres become the norm on new cars, you’ll need to replace today’s common tyres with intelligent tyres.
The next big move in vehicles is already happening: electric. My guess is that by the time the electric car is mainstream, intelligent tyres will already be fitted as standard on most new vehicles.
Meanwhile, for an intelligent tyre fitting service in Brisbane, contact Darra Tyres today.
Keeping your family and fleet safe,
Kevin Wood