TPMS and RFID
Preliminary full year figures show that Beru AG increased total sales revenues by 9 per cent in the year ended 31 March 2005. Meanwhile the company conceded that sales of tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) failed to meet expectations. Beru’s 9 per cent sales figure fell just short of the company’s growth target for the 2004/2005 year. Beru had aimed to achieve 10 per cent growth during the course of the year.
(Akron/Tire Review) Initial analysis of NHTSA’s final regulations mandating tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) on all new passenger vehicles shows the new regulations are badly flawed, raising questions about how well they will protect drivers.
And they illustrate clearly just how much sway the car manufacturer lobby has with the safety agency, and how little consideration the logical and correct argument raised by the tyre industry and the automotive aftermarket really received.
Omitec, a leading UK independent test equipment manufacturer, has launched a new product to test vehicle tyre pressure monitoring valves. The product called OmiDetect 150 establishes if a wheel valve in a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is operating.
SmarTire’s active tyre monitoring system is now available on a luxury line of motorhomes
Smartire has announced that Western Recreational Vehicles Inc. is offering SmarTire’s active TPMS as optional equipment on their prestigious Alpine Coach Limited Series line of recreational vehicles. With over 34 years of recreational vehicle manufacturing experience, Western RV is one of the top producers in the US of diesel powered Class “A” motorhomes.
(Akron/Tire Review) The National Highway Traffic safety Administration (NHTSA) this morning issued its final regulations concerning installation of tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) on all new passenger vehicles sold in the US.
The precise details of NHTSA’s new regulations must still be determined as a copy of the 187-page document was released only a few hours ago. NHTSA did note that final rule requires automakers to install “a system that can detect when one or more of the vehicle’s tyres are 25 per cent or more below the recommended inflation pressure.”
Automotive supplier, Beru AG, has reduced its sales growth target, following lower than expected demand. The company now says that sales revenues should rise by at least 10 per cent in the current financial year with EBIT reaching at least 56 million euros. According to the company, an unusually warm winter, lower than expect demand for TPMS and lower sales in the field of diesel technology mean that its original 13 per cent sales goal will be unreachable.
Yokohama is claiming that the days of stability control systems could be numbered, due to a new programme developed by the company. Yokohama explains that the system uses a sensor fitted to the wheel rim meaning that the device takes its measurement directly from the tyre. The thinking behind the product is that it will only function when a driver really needs it, for example when a tyre loses grip. This contrasts with other designs, which have been criticised for ‘nannying’ drivers.
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and Siemans VDO have unveiled the results of their cooperation as part of Ford’s latest concept car, the Ford Shelby GR-1. When the new vehicle was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit it would not have been immediately obvious that the concept coupe carried a fully functional “Tire IQ” TPMS. Even so, the companies behind the system highlight this feature describing it as the “most advanced tyre information system to be developed.”
This is a short extract. Tyrepress and Tyres & Accessories subscribers can log in below to read the full article.
If you are not yet a Tyrepress or Tyres & Accessories subscriber, you can change that here.
Becoming a member has benefits such as:
BERU has received a three-year contract for its TPMS systems worth in excess of 80 million euros. The company says it will begin producing for the order “in the middle of 2005” when it will supply pressure monitoring systems for the US market of a European automobile manufacturer’s model. The company has not yet named the manufacturer.
The product will be developed at the BERU Group electronics facility with the first deliveries of the new Tire Safety System (TSS) planned for the middle of 2005, in good time before the relevant US legislation comes into force. BERU reports that the order will contribute between 15 and 20 million to the Group’s total revenues in the 2005/2006 financial year.
SmarTire Systems has announced that it has been granted a US patent protecting its multi-mount TPMS installation technology. For SmarTire, the system is of major strategic importance. The company sees the patent as a solid way of securing its competitive position.
“The multi-mount technology enables a common sensor to be used to satisfy a variety of vehicle platforms using different mounting methods such as strap, valve or bonded,” says Kian Sheikh-Bahaie, senior mechanical designer at SmarTire. “This technology offers a number of benefits including a single solution regardless of wheel design and the ability to use aftermarket wheels without disabling the original TPMS. Smaller automakers can also take advantage of the economies of scale and speed to market by enabling them to use a common sensor.”
“This patent represents a significant milestone as it expands SmarTire’s intellectual property portfolio at a critical time in the development of the TPMS industry,” says Robert Rudman, president and CEO of SmarTire. “Now that the Tread Act has been finalised in the US and the automakers are now required to install tyre monitoring in their vehicles, one crucial issue that has not been adequately addressed by the industry is the installation and servicing of TPMS. SmarTire has developed and now patented a unique sensor mounting technology that satisfies the diverse implications that arise during installation and servicing of the system over the life of the vehicle.”
Through the collective voice of the US Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) the American tyre industry has registered its “strong opposition” to the proposed federal TPMS regulation, saying: “It may create a false sense of security among consumers.”
According to the association, the rule, proposed by the NHTSA, does not meet the government’s objective of improving consumer safety. Instead the association warns that the rule in its current format may increase the risk of tyre failures.
The proposed rule would mandate that every car, SUV, pickup truck and minivan be equipped with a tyre pressure monitoring system that warns drivers when tyre pressure is 25 per cent below the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended inflation pressure. The RMA warns that a 25 per cent drop in a tyre’s recommended pressure would still leave the tyre in an unsafe condition. In a statement released by the association the RMA suggested that under the proposed standard, “motorists could be driving for thousands of miles on tyres that are appreciably under-inflated but still not receive a warning.”
“A tyre pressure monitor that doesn’t provide a timely low-pressure warning to motorists will not enhance safety,” Mr Shea commented adding: “A tyre pressure monitoring system is meant to supplement, not replace, regular tyre maintenance by consumers.”
The RMA supported its argument with the results of research it conducted in 2003. It found that nearly two-thirds of US motorists would be less likely to check their tyre pressure regularly with a TPMS-equipped vehicle. Other criticisms put forward by the RMA include: The fact that the TPMS would not be required to be tested at speeds of above 63 mph; at temperatures below freezing or above 40 degrees Celsius; during turning and braking manoeuvres; or on secondary roads. The RMA also criticised the suggestion that the TPMS system would not be required to work with replacement or full-size spare tyres.
“In short, it is contrary to NHTSA’s mission to promote highway safety to promulgate a TPMS standard that may create a false sense of security among consumers about an issue as important as tyre inflation pressure,” the RMA said stating, “our intent is to work with NHTSA to get this regulation right and to get it done soon,” said RMA president and CEO, Donald B Shea, said.
Schrader Electronics Ltd, part of Tomkins Industrial and Automotive Division, has been awarded the contract to supply remote tyre pressure monitoring systems (“RTPMS”) to Mercedes starting in 2006.
Yokohama marked its IAA debut by featuring its new HiTES pressure monitoring system as the centrepiece of its stand.
Bridgestone has teamed up with competitor Continental to develop an advanced tyre pressure monitoring system for commercial vehicles. The two companies will join forces to mass produce the system which is expected to be released into the market in 2007. The companies are aiming to position the product as a “global standard.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) has proposed that tyre monitoring systems should be installed on 50 per cent of new vehicles sold after 1 September 2005, according to DB Global Equities New York.
The new proposal requires car manufacturers to install a direct tyre monitoring system to indicate when a tyre is more than 25 per cent under inflated and will eventually include 100 per cent of new cars by 1 September 2007. NHTSA estimates the cost of each device at between £26-40.
Industry representatives believe that by 2007 TPMS could grow to a $1 billion (£55 million) per year revenue opportunity. Currently there are at least five major auto parts suppliers competing in this segment of the market: Lear, Delphi, TRW, JCI and Continental. The announcement could also mean good news for Beru, a leading producer of direct measuring systems that provides software to Lear through a licensing fee agreement.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
