Leading automotive tyre company, Pirelli, has become the world’s first tyre company to transmit information detected by its intelligent tyres regarding the road surface via a 5G network. The company, in a recent demonstration held at The 5G Path of Vehicle-to-Everything Communication event organized by the 5G Automotive Association in Turin, presented the “World-First 5G Enhanced ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) Services” use case.
Pirelli partnered with Ericsson, Audi, Tim, Italdesign and KTH to stage a demonstration that took place on the roof of the Lingotto building showing how a vehicle equipped with the sensor-fitted Pirelli Cyber Tyre and connected to a 5G network was able to transmit the risk of aquaplaning detected by the tyres to a following car. This was thanks to 5G technology's ultra-high band and low latency.
The tyre is the only point of contact between the vehicle and road and, thanks to the technology being developed by Pirelli, it communicated this information to the driver, car and the entire roadway infrastructure. The Pirelli Cyber Tyre, equipped with an internal sensor, will in future supply the car with data relative to the tyre model, kilometers clocked, dynamic load and, for the first time, situations of potential danger on road surfaces, from the presence of water to poor grip. This information will enable the car to adapt its control and driving assistance systems, greatly improving the level of safety, comfort and performance.
In addition, it will provide the same information to other cars and the surrounding infrastructure. Thanks to the potential of 5G, Pirelli is able to place the tyre inside a wider communication context which involves the enter ecosystem of on-road transportation, actively contributing to the development of solutions and services for future mobility and systems of autonomous driving.
This year, Pirelli also presented its Italia Track Adrenaline, a product for lovers of track days, which includes a line of sensor-fitted P Zero Trofeo tyres. Track Adrenaline is a true track engineer in virtual form, which monitors tyre pressure and temperature in real time and combines this information with telemetric data to provide the driver indications and suggestions on how to improve his or her on-track performance.
The “sensoring” of tyres is an integral part of Pirelli’s “Perfect Fit” strategy, focused on the development of “tailor made” products and services to meet the needs of car makers, fleets and drivers in general, with a view to the future and the changes underway in mobility.