Following news of its launch at the start of April 2022, TPMS specialist Hamaton is promoting its BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) sensor exclusively for Tesla vehicles at the Tire Cologne and Autopromotec exhibitions in May and has revealed some more details.
Michelin Connected Fleet made its UK debut at the ITT Hub truck technology event in Farnborough on 11 May 2022. Michelin Connected Fleet is an evolution of Michelin’s 2019 acquisition of Masternaut and interfacing with other comparable systems in the Michelin portfolio. The technology, which is as much about service and support as it is technology, was launched in Spain and France in 2021. Next up are Germany and South Africa later in 2022, followed by markets such as Sweden and Benelux after that.
Megaride Applied Vehicle Research has acquired tyre wear and integrity monitoring systems developed by Wriggle. The purchase continues Megaride’s recent expansion of technical know-how in the tyre technology sphere. No details relating to the nature of the investment associated with the acquisition have been released.
Cerebrum Sensor Technologies was a new name to Tyres & Accessories when we came across the company at the end of December. but the company won a breakthrough award at the 2019 SEMA show and is working hard to market itself in the TPMS/smart tyre space.
Pro-Align vehicle diagnostic expert and Hella Gutmann will bring a hands-on workshop experience to Lanarkshire in Scotland in November 2021. The event, giving business owners and vehicle technicians from across Scotland an opportunity to trial on some of the world’s leading industry systems, will be hosted by New College Lanarkshire on 17 November. Pro-Align is the sole UK distributor of leading US wheel servicing equipment brand Hunter. Hella Gutmann is a pioneer of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) calibration for the independent aftermarket. Recognising the increasing synergies between their areas of expertise, the two companies became brand partners earlier in 2021.
With Continental AG celebrating 150 years in business during 2021, Tyres & Accessories recently interviewed Christian Kötz, Head of the Tires division and member of the Continental AG Executive Board in order to get an insight into how the global company is handling the challenges of today in light of its long history.
Tyres & Accessories: Continental celebrated its 150th anniversary in October. For a large part of its history Continental has been primarily known as a tyre manufacturer. But what does the Tires business unit mean for Continental today?
Commercial vehicle tyre management system supplier TyreWatch will unveil two new products at this year’s ITTHub transport show. The company says the new additions will cut costs, improve safety and lower carbon emissions for operators across all commercial vehicle sectors. AutoAlign is a dynamic vehicle monitoring system designed to combat the widespread problem of wheel misalignment. TyreWatch says around a third of fleets suffer from misalignment unknowingly. The system will be rolled out in the UK in September 2021. Also due to be launched at the ITTHub show is a new version of the widely used TyreWatch VanSmart tyre monitoring system which, says the company, will improve safety and reduce running costs for light commercial vehicle operators.
Using the market proven TyreWatch ‘connected technology’ platform, AutoAlign continuously monitors each vehicle and detects any wheel alignment issue as soon as it occurs and automatically notifies the operator so that immediate corrective action can be taken.
Procon Readymix has become one of the first operators in the UK to protect its vehicles with the latest generation Wheely-Safe technology – combining intelligent tyre pressure monitoring (TPMS), wheel loss and brake temperature sensing systems with walkaround checkers to help drivers complete daily inspections. The London-based concrete supplier has installed the products onto two of its 32-tonne DAF multi-wheelers, with a view to rolling it out across the rest of its 18-strong fleet over the coming months.
Falken Tyre’s parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) has successfully developed technology that generates electric power from tyre rotation and supplies this to peripheral tyre sensors. The company says that this marks a major leap towards achieving Sensing Core Technology applications that will be instrumental in enabling future mobility trends.
Automotive supplier Hella intends to sell its 50 per cent share in the South Korean joint venture Mando Hella Electronics (MHE) to Mando. The two partners have now signed a corresponding agreement and the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021 calendar year. The price is “around €60 million.”
Wheely-Safe has launched a new generation of open platform systems, making its intelligent tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), wheel loss and brake temperature sensing technologies available for sale by tyre distributors and dealers for the first time. The new systems can connect to vehicle telematics and CAN bus directly and are offered alongside the brand’s standalone products. Wheely-Safe says the launch is part of its biggest series of upgrades to date. The new technologies include an auto-calibrating internal TPMS sensor – which it claims is a world first – that eliminates the need for external valve sensors. The sensor is suitable for “all vehicle types” Wheely-Safe says, including cars, commercial vehicles, and plant machinery.
Tyrata, Inc. has launched Tyrata.io, a cloud-based data portal for its IntelliTread tyre tread monitoring products. Tyrata.io works in combination with Tyrata’s Drive-Over System (DOS) to provide direct tyre measurement and real-time tread wear analysis for large vehicle fleets. According to the company, the solution has no hardware cost and is deployed within hours with no impact to current fleet operations.
Michelin has announced pioneering plans to equip all its new car tyres with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips by 2023. Continuing its long history in the development of tyre-orientated RFID technology (including the global launch of a truck tyre RFID solution in 2012) Michelin says up to 1.5 million RFID-equipped car tyres will be delivered as early as 2020.
Hamaton
Michelin
Wriggle Solutions
Cerebrum
Continental
JK Tyre
Wheely-Safe
Tyrata
Michelin