Fleet Auto News was sent this press release from Pirelli and we thought about the benefits this technology would provide to fleet managers so we wanted to share with our readers.
What is Pirelli Connesso?
It’s a digital platform using a sensor integrated within Pirelli’s high end tyres to expand on the information already available from each car’s on-board computer.
It provides data about the status, use and maintenance of every tyre, also offering localised and personalised services to provide bespoke mobility for the needs of the most demanding drivers.
Pirelli’s new system has been conceived as a technical tyre accessory, and is intended to provide a more informed and pleasurable driving experience, optimising performance and reducing fuel consumption with more efficient use of tyres.
Pirelli Connesso is formed of a sensor embedded in the tyre connected to the Pirelli Cloud and to a smartphone app, providing an interface that allows drivers to constantly communicate with tyres.
This sensor weighs just a few grams and has no effect on the physical performance of the tyre. It continuously measures the status of each tyre and sends the data to a centralised control unit and the Pirelli Cloud, which together form the real brain of the Connesso system. Here the information is processed and then conveyed to the end-user app.
The launch version of the Pirelli Connesso system recognises each tyre’s identification code, monitoring its status from manufacture in the factory to recycling at the end of life.
It measures tyre pressure and temperature even when the car is at rest, plus static vertical load, tyre wear, number of kilometres covered for each tyre, and, in a future version, the estimated remaining life in kilometres, as well as acting as a remote pressure gauge when tyres are being inflated, providing a true and accurate reading without having to wait for the tyres to cool down.
Furthermore, Pirelli Connesso also alerts the driver when the pressure of one or more tyres drops too low, or when the wear limit is approaching. In both cases, the app identifies the closest tyre dealership and can directly book an appointment to rectify the pressures, or pre-order and change worn tyres, cutting down on waiting time.
Pirelli’s new system is currently focussed on the aftermarket, but there will also be an original equipment solution. In collaboration with some car manufacturers, Pirelli is developing a brand new technical architecture for tyres.
As well as enabling all the basic functions, this will add the possibility of automatically controlling the vehicle’s set-up. By reading each tyre’s identification code, the sensor will recognise its characteristics and send that information to the car’s on-board computer, in order to select the car set-up offering the most performance and safety.
