Digital and smart solutions for safer and more sustainable mobility

Digital and smart solutions for safer and more sustainable mobility

Leading tire manufacturers are developing smart solutions that bring opportunities and benefits for mobility stakeholders, including increased safety, new services and better management of the tire life cycle.

With embedded sensors, chips or tags, intelligent and connected tires can transmit real-time information to the vehicle or surrounding mobility devices to help enable safe and sustainable mobility.

Toyo Tires is developing tire sensing technology that enables the realtime visualization of tire performance. This technology monitors tire and road conditions while driving, allowing for the real-time display of tire performance which supports safer driving.

Sumitomo Rubber worked with Kansai University in Japan to develop technology that harnesses the rotational movement of tires to generate electricity as a potential source of power for digital devices.

Goodyear has partnered with several companies to test connected tires, gathering more than 3 million miles of driving data. Tires embedded with sensors measure characteristics of the tire, such as tire wear, load, inflation and temperature, along with road surface conditions, leading to potential enhanced vehicle performance and safety. Initial studies have shown that connected tires can improve a vehicle’s stopping distance by as much as 30%.

As the world transitions to electric and autonomous vehicles, intelligent tires can increase electric vehicle range and provide valuable information about road conditions to autonomous vehicles.

Michelin has developed technology that enables farmers to change tire pressure from the tractor cabin when they go from the field to the road and vice-versa, helping them protect the soil, improve operational safety and optimize the use of their vehicles and tires. With integrated technologies, tire makers can provide products and services that go beyond tires, including fully integrated fleet management solutions.

Bridgestone offers a fleet optimization service that more than 900,000 vehicle owners have adopted. By managing data related to overall vehicle performance (fuel efficiency, navigation, maintenance) the service enables real-time adjustments to operations to contribute to improvements in fleet safety, efficiency and productivity and has helped customers achieve 10-25% reductions in fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Road safety education

SDG 3.6 specifically focuses on the urgent need to address road traffic safety. In August 2020, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to improve global road safety, proclaiming a new Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. The Plan of Action will align with the Stockholm Declaration, which emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to road safety and calls for continued improvements in the design of roads and vehicles; the enhancement of laws and law enforcement on behavioral risks such as speeding and drinking and driving; and the provision of timely, life-saving emergency care for the injured.

Because tires are important to road safety, regional tire manufacturers’ associations have worked with partners and stakeholders to target tire dealers, authorities and consumers with awareness-raising campaigns on best practices and procedures on tire maintenance, storage and service life. Programs include ETRMA’s Tire Aware, USTMA’s National Tire Safety Week, and JATMA’s Tire Safety Campaign.

TIP members have also run their own awareness programs, including Cooper’s satellite media tour during US National Safety Week, Hankook’s Road Safety for Children program, Kumho Tire’s General Public on Highway Campaign, or Toyo Tires’ Tire Safety Awareness Campaign using a driving simulator. These programs have reached millions of drivers worldwide, passing on essential know-how for the proper care and maintenance, and safer use of tires.

www.tyreaware.org/