Several tyre makers have presented their vision of future products. Michelin, for example, showed the world its Vision concept in 2017 and more recently its Uptis Prototype. Goodyear has its IntelliGrip Urban, Oxygene and Eagle-360, and Bridgestone has ologic technology. Continental unveiled its take on the future at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) this week.
A world-first from the Ronal Group at the IAA motor show in Frankfurt: The alloy wheel manufacturer has presented a one-piece, 3D printed alloy wheel. Although a concept, the wheel is entirely road legal.
Lighting an electronics specialist Hella will present solutions for the mobility of the future at the IAA in Frankfurt, Germany’s largest motor show, from September 10 to 15, 2019. The company will be located in the New Mobility World (Hall 5, Stand B06).
The Ronal Group, a global leader in manufacturing light alloy wheels for automobiles and commercial vehicles, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The milestone will thus be a central theme at the company’s stand at this year’s IAA in Frankfurt am Main.
In addition to its latest line-up of Bridgestone and Firestone tyres, Bridgestone intends to display its latest tech solutions at the 68th annual International Motor Show (IAA). The company states that the following solutions will be showcased at the Frankfurt fair in September:
A good concept vehicle shouldn’t just be stuffed full of forward-thinking technologies and ideas, it should also look as if it’s absconded from the future. The CitE – MAN’s vision of the “future of city delivery transport” – ticks both boxes. Currently on display at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show, the all-electric CitE displays the truck manufacturer’s latest ergonomic and safety concepts. The tyres are also a one-off, made especially for the CitE by Continental. The tyre maker views the concept project as an opportunity to gain experience in electric vehicle tyre development, referring to the Conti e.MotionPro study, as a “starting point for the development of tyres for electric commercial vehicles.”
Continental has presented the latest development of its digital tyre monitoring platform. ContiConnect Live, available from the second quarter of 2019, informs operators of truck and bus fleets immediately if there is a problem with the temperature or pressure of a tyre, even when the vehicle is on the road. The data is transferred to the servers and the web portal by the ContiConnect Driver app, which is also new. Before the end of this year, the app will be able to show tyre information on Daimler Fleetboard and TomTom Telematics devices as well as other Android devices, such as smartphones and tablets, initially in the driver’s cab. With ContiConnect Live, Continental presented a further development of the portfolio that has already been successfully launched in 15 markets as ContiConnect Yard, which works using a yard reader station in the fleet yard.
Bridgestone has launched FleetPulse a three-in-one solution composed of a mobile app, a centralised website and tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) hardware. FleetPulse reportedly improves transparency related to vehicle health in order to significantly reduce the likelihood of costly and potentially dangerous breakdowns, thus increasing time on the roads while ensuring high safety standards. FleetPulse, which automates roadworthiness checks, will also help fleets to simplify their operations and reduce maintenance costs – two other key challenges for fleets.
Maxion Wheels has announced its participation in the 67th IAA Commercial Vehicles exhibition in Hannover, Germany. From 20 to 27 September 2018, Maxion Wheels will display both its application-diverse truck wheel product portfolio, as well as present several of its latest innovation wheels designed to tackle the industry’s challenges of fuel efficiency, connectivity and new mobility in Hall 26/ Stand A42.
From 20-27 September, Hella, the lighting and electronics specialist will present its intelligent lighting and electronics solutions for trucks, trailers and buses at IAA Commercial Vehicles, the leading international trade fair for mobility, transport and logistics in Hannover (Hall 16, Stand B01). At the centre of the presentation will be products for improving safety on the road and solutions for an individual vehicle design and by exhibiting prototypes, Hella will also provide an insight into the future of mobility.
Bridgestone is limbering up to launch a new generation of Ecopia truck and bus tyres at this year’s IAA Commercial Vehicles show. The tyre maker will also share the message that its truck and bus tyres will begin to be supplied with RFID electronic tagging systems as of next year.
Even though Hankook Tire is now – as are many within the tyre industry – making final preparations for next week’s The Tire Cologne, the tyre maker is already getting ready for the 2018 IAA Commercial Vehicles fair. Offering a sneak preview of what we can expect to see this September, it shares that the show in Hannover, Germany will host the world premiere of a new Hankook mixed on- and off-road tyre line-up that includes steer, drive and trailer axle fitments. Hankook Tire also intends to announce further growth in its business with truck OEMs.
Aesthetics are decisive when choosing a new car, and large diameter rims and low-profile tyres now even feature on the options list for lower performance models. But while kitting a car out with this combination bumps up its sporting credentials a notch or two, your pride and joy no longer looks the part when standing immobile at the side of the road, tyre destroyed and rim ruined after an encounter with a pothole.
When vehicle manufacturers talk about the future, the talk centres more and more on electric vehicles, and the timetable for their introduction is increasingly specific. During the IAA show in Germany a couple of months back, several major car makers announced or reiterated plans to bring all-electric models to market by 2020. This means that OEMs, including tyre makers, are already busy with preparations.
Continental has presented two new tyre technology concepts to increase road safety and comfort: ContiSense and ContiAdapt. The two systems enable continuous tyre condition monitoring and situation-matched adaptation of tyre performance characteristics to prevailing road conditions. Both technologies made their public debut at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA).
