IAA commercial vehicles 2016: Tire telematics theme

Hanover, Germany – The week-long IAA commercial vehicles 2016 exhibition kicked off in Hanover on 22 Sept with tire-makers coming out with high-tech solutions for fleet management and maintenance.

Tirematics is the name of the game for the Japanese tire-maker, which is displaying its new tire monitoring system at the show.

The ‘connected tire’ solution offers IT systems that use ‘sensors and gate’ to remotely monitor, transmit and analyse real-time information, such as the pressure and temperature of commercial truck and bus tires.

Every time a vehicle passes through “the gate”, special valves on the vehicle tires send pressure data via the GSM network to the Bridgestone fleet data server, the company explained in an IAA preview announcement.

Bridgestone is now expanding the connected tire system and is trialling an upgrade which can continuously provide information on tires without needing to pass through a gate.

A tire information and management system for commercial fleets, ContiConnect monitors, analyses and reports tire pressure and temperature via fitted ContiPressureCheck sensors.

To be launched in Q2 2017 in Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas, the technology will provide an online portal for reports on a fleet’s tire performance and overall efficiency.

The system can collect data from a stationary receiver in a depot, or from a receiver unit fitted in every vehicle on the road in real-time.

Conti announced on 21 Sept that it is now rolling out iTyres with factory-fitted ContiPressureCheck sensors, a move that can also ties in with the launch of ContiConnect.

Another fleet management system on display comes from idem telematics, which promises to offer more than just tire care.

The cargofleet DriverApp, claims idem telematics, enables transport orders, positioning data and vehicle data to be easily managed and controlled.

The driver is connected to the trailer via the app and important data such as refrigerator temperature, tire pressure and brake lining wear is sent directly to the driver’s cab.

The Android app can also be used to replace a display, said idem telematics, suggesting that the solution can serve as “a communication tool for text messages or orders between the driver and the dispatcher.”

This, it said, enables the driver and the haulier to receive the relevant information at the right time, enabling them to react more quickly.

On the pneumatic products front, Conti is offering new tire lines, which can offer high fuel efficiency and up to 80 percent extra load capacity.

The Conti LightPro tire line offers weight-reduced tires specially developed for use on tankers for the transportation of liquids and, in particular, mineral oil.

The lighter tires can reduce the vehicle's total weight by around 80kg compared with tires from the Conti hybrid line.

Also on display is the A-rated Conti EfficientPro steer and drive axle tire, which said Conti has been specially developed for long-distance motorway transportation.

The tires offer low rolling resistance and can achieve fuel savings of up to 0.64 litres over 62 miles compared with Conti EcoPlus tires.

A similar theme was echoed by Korean tire-maker Hankook, which is offering a new coach tire for long-distance travel.

According to Hankook, SmartTourin AL22 has been designed in response to growing long-distance coach travel in Europe.

The newly developed tire, said Hankook, offers ride and rolling comfort, high concentricity, and low rolling noise.

The Korean tire-maker also announced that it had increased its volume offerings of truck tires in Europe with the e-cube MAX, SmartFlex and SmartWork series available in more than 42 tires.