UAE to implement tyre chip technology by end of 2017

Having announced that tyres sold on the internal market would be chipped and labelled with a QR code back in 2014, the United Arab Emirates’ authorities have announced plans to roll out tyre chipping by the end of 2017.

According to the Khaleej Times, from the last quarter of the year, vehicle tyres in the UAE will have smart chips installed in them to ensure tyre safety and prevent motorists and dealers from tampering with tyres. The Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma) took a decision in this regard to reducing road accidents caused by damaged or old tyres. And therefore the chips will carry date of manufacture and predicted lifespan information.

The smart chip installed in the tyres will carry an identification card, which can be read through scanners or through smartphones. The tyre dealers and suppliers will be given 90 days grace period before making the rule mandatory.

Abdulla Abdul Qader Al Maeeni, general manager of Esma, said that the move will also prevent sale of fake or counterfeit tyres:

“Nobody will be able to manipulate or make any changes in the key data recorded in the chips. This will help achieve the highest level of safety in tyres available in the UAE markets….The chip and the details of the tyres encrypted in it will be linked to a central database, that will have all the necessary information about the import of tyres at the customs outlets and marketing and distribution to wholesalers and retailers. Each tyre carries a specific serial number and manipulating that will be impossible”.

A second generation chip is expected to offer tyre product performance data. “The ability to read the tyre data before buying will be an advantage for customers”, Al Maeeni added.