Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Smart-tyre (Real time measurement of wear and damage in tyres to reduce accidents and enable the "tyre as a service" model)
Reporting period: 2019-02-01 to 2019-07-31
Wriggle Solutions has developed a solution which, thanks to a patented revolutionary physical approach using the tyre itself as a sensor, is capable of measuring in real time the tread depth of tyres and monitor the extent of wear in an extremely precise and effective manner, identifying possible damages and deformations of tyres that precede sudden failures or explosions. The tyre becomes a sensing Smart-Tyre exploiting the physical principle of variation of electrical conductivity related to the tread thickness, without integrating any complex digital device in the polymeric mixture of the tyre. The objectives of the project were to validate the 1) technical feasibility, including compliance with standards, analysis of specifications and functionalities, definition of production costs and suppliers, manufacturing plan; 2) business opportunity, to understand specific market demands and willingness to pay, the options for market access, definition of business plan and the investment strategy.
The activities carried out during the feasibility study included: 1) Product fit analysis and certifications required for SMART Tyre. 2) Production cost analysis and options for production of the SMART Tyre modules, with the estimation on the production capacity of a total amount of 10’000 units. 3) Customer validation to confirm the advantages for the end-users, i.e. experts, fleet managers and solutions providers. 4) Business model and value chain including main barrier to reach commercialization and the options for industrial partnerships with tyre manufacturers and TPMS manufacturers for market access. 5) Market evaluation for tyres and vehicle, with priority application in the Heavy vehicle segment. 6) Business plan envisaged for 5 years after market launch.
SMART Tyre is a system that aims at improving the road safety by analyzing in real-time key parameters of tires for road vehicles that no other state-of-the-art system can monitor. Specifically, SMART Tyre can monitor the depth of the tire tread and to detect possible deformations or damages. The former affects the tire friction and is directly responsible for both the vehicle stability and energy efficiency, while the latter identifies unusual conditions that may lead to tire explosions. The use of SMART Tyre allows to: improve safety of vehicles, reduce operational costs for commercial vehicles, reduce insurance costs, offer tighter safety control, improve fuel economy and reduce emissions.