Michelin, the pioneering brand in electronic tire development, made London’s public bus transits safe and ready for the summer Olympics crowd, with tires equipped with Michelin’s latest innovation in tire technology. Called Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Chips, the new technology allows for quick, safe and efficient evaluation of tire conditions.
The new “communicating” tires provide a breakthrough solution to improving road safety. Combining the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and RFID chips installed in the tire, the device helps check the tire pressure and conditions and link to a data processing system. After seven years of thorough testing and research plus thousands of manufactured chips that validate test phases, the technology was introduced to 85% of London’s city buses in time for the 30th Olympic Games.
The small RFID chips require no batteries and instead are activated by the radio waves it receives during scanning. The users may input their own data and update them as well. It can last longer than the tire itself, shave time in vehicle maintenance and provide cost-efficient vehicle operations.
With Michelin’s “communicating” tires, the transit operators only need to use an electronic reader that automatically gathers information about the tire’s condition and history. Now, instead of physical check-ups that may be dangerous to the operators, a more reliable system of monitoring tire conditions guarantee that the passenger vehicle tires will last longer, be more accurately traceable, reduce fuel consumption and avoid the need for frequent and costly replacements.
The Michelin Group: A major player in the British urban transport system
The figures speak for themselves. With 33,000 buses covered by service contracts (representing 80% of the country’s bus market) and a 100% market share for four of the five largest British bus transport companies and a 50% share for the fifth, Michelin is eminently qualified to provide bus fleets with end-to-end tire management solutions.
What’s more, 85% of all London buses are fitted with MICHELIN tires. More than just buses, these highly original vehicles – with their bright red color so well-liked by tourists – play both a symbolic and an indispensable role in urban mobility and at the same time are rightly considered to be one of the city’s cultural assets