As the only part of the vehicle that touches the road, tires can have a significant impact on both performance and efficiency. Tire manufacturer Pirelli and automotive supplier Bosch both believe that making tires an extension of a car's sensing systems can help improve both.
The joint development agreement was announced on Tuesday tires with embedded sensorswhich is considered capable of delivering “greater safety, comfort, and stability, as well as improved driving dynamics,” according to the companies.
Pirelli and Bosch to develop data transfer tires
This upgrade will come courtesy of data transfers from tire sensors in the car's on-board computers, according to the companies, which allows the different parameters of the car to be fine-tuned to the road conditions. Bosch and Pirelli have already demonstrated this technology with special Pirelli tires for the Pagani Utopia supercar, which feeds data directly into the stability control system provided by Bosch.
What cannot be said is whether such technology will allow Pirelli to better design special tires needs of EVs. Their high curb weights and torque-rich motors mean that EVs tend to wear out the tires faster, which is what the wheels do. Michelin agreed it is not a very big natural thing.
Michelin is now promoting airless tires as the future of EVs, telling Green Car Reports that they will avoid waste from prematurely discharged tires due to sidewall damage or punctures, while addressing the high curb weight of EVs.
Reducing rolling resistance can help EVs achieve greater range and hybrids achieve greater fuel economy. California has even considered effective tire replacement standards to ensure that vehicles sold with performance-oriented tires as original equipment receive comparable replacements, with lower rolling resistance, when those tires inevitably wear out. Whether or not connected tires are part of this future, or throw more weight and complexity into more efficient policies, remains to be seen.