Intelligent tires: Coming to a bay near you

HILTON HEAD, S.C.—Technological innovations at major tire companies, especially those dealing with "big data" and tire-vehicle connectivity, are quickly making autonomous vehicles a reality, according to executives with Continental Tire the Americas and Goodyear speaking at the recent Clemson University Global Tire Industry Conference.

Continental Tire's contribution to the issue includes ContiSense and ContiAdapt, said Mauricio Mendez Sotelo, manager, technical product specialist, R&D, passenger and light truck tires, for Continental.

"The tire needs to be able to sense the road," Mr. Mendez said. Conti's vision, he said, is ContiSense, an innovative concept with an intelligent tire and rim, sensing relevant tire data and using them to adapt to the surrounding driving conditions.

ContiSense monitors the tire's status based on the electrification of rubber, and ContiAdapt shifts the tire's footprint to the detected road condition or the driver's preference via a modular wheel that can change its width and adjust the tire's air pressure, he said.

"This concept tire enables the benefits of this advanced technology by offering an optimized pattern design," Mr. Mendez said.

Through ContiSense and ContiAdapt, the tire itself becomes a sensor, detecting punctures and tread depth, according to Mr. Mendez.

"By understanding the conductive characteristics of rubber, signals can be transported within the structure of the tire," he said. "Integrated sensors detect and transport data via Bluetooth to a back-end system for further processing and interpretation."

The tire footprint is the only connection between the vehicle and the road, according to Mr. Mendez.

"Even though it only has the size of a smartphone, it is responsible for the driver's safety," he said. "Different road conditions ask for specific tire safety features. The next generation of intelligent tires would ensure safe and comfortable driving in any condition."

Continental A.G. photo

ContiAdapt shifts the tire's footprint to the detected road condition or the driver's preference via a modular wheel that can change its width and adjust the tire's air pressure.

With ContiSense and ContiAdapt, Conti is introducing a modular tire concept, according to Mr. Mendez. The tire will offer an efficient mode for highest efficiency and range extension; a wet mode for wet conditions; a comfort mode for increased riding comfort; and a traction mode for temporary maximum traction.

"People will rely on the car to monitor road conditions, so the tire needs to do the work for them," he said.

Meanwhile, Goodyear is using data-driven methods to address a new reality in transportation, according to Tom Ebbott, Goodyear global manager, simulation technology.

"From changing consumer behaviors and expectations to the disruptive effect of emerging technologies, it is clear we are entering a new mobility ecosystem," Mr. Ebbott said. "Data is at the core of this transformation, improving business operations and creating new business opportunities."

Nearly all mobility growth will be in emerging technology areas, according to Mr. Ebbott.

"The mobility industry will continue to grow, but profit pools will shift to new technology," he said.

Three areas enabled this revolution, according to Mr. Ebbott:

  • Availability of large amounts of data;

  • Availability of affordable, high-performance computing; and

  • Software and algorithms.

"Data science can produce insights not possible 10 years ago," he said.

The mobility ecosystem is changing resoundingly, Mr. Ebbott said. He estimates at least 25 percent of global miles driven will be shared by 2030.

Goodyear photo

Goodyear's telematics-based vehicle-to-fleet operations management system is rolling out in Europe under the name Goodyear Proactive Solutions.

Autonomous vehicles will be a $7 trillion market by 2050, and 2 million electric vehicles were sold in the past two years, he said. It took six years to sell the first million, he said.

"By 2030, there will be no more internal combustion vehicles built in Germany," he said.

Goodyear is delivering active solutions to its fleet customers to prevent tire-related breakdowns, he said. Thanks to this, Goodyear's fleet customers are having 75-percent fewer breakdowns on average, and saving an average of 125 gallons of fuel per truck per year, he said.

Among the other services and projects at Goodyear, according to Mr. Ebbott, are:

  • Predictive capability to ensure customers have proper inflation;

  • An on-wheel air maintenance technology with self-inflating systems;

  • Fully automated tire inspection through Goodyear's acquisition of Ventech Systems; and

  • A project with Tesla Inc. to outfit intelligent tires to a semi-autonomous electric fleet.

"How do we as tire companies make sure we get the value out of the connections?" Mr. Ebbott asked. "Some advise just buying a bucket of sources. But you can really add value when you couple data science with tire science."

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