The Future of Tire Data Sensors and Technology w/ Werner Happenhofer

AVL's Reimagine Mobility Podcast

In this episode Stephan is joined by Wener Happenhofer, Vice President Intelligence and eMobility Solutions at Goodyear Tire.
Tire sensors are essential for the future of mobility. They provide information on tire pressure, wear, and even the health of the tire. Advanced sensor technology, such as RFID sensors, can help identify a tire and its type. This information can also determine if the tire is the best fit for the vehicle. Tire sensors also measure pressure, temperature, and footprint length. All of this information can be used for many different applications. Tires have become an additional sensor for vehicles.

Goodyear uses data from tire sensors and other vehicle sensors to provide information to service fleet managers. This information can reduce costs, increase uptime, and improve vehicle stability and activities. Goodyear also uses this data to connect service providers with fleets and fleet managers to turn around vehicles and increase their uptime quickly. The company has a proactive solution in Europe that provides information from different tire sensors. The data can be submitted to OEMs directly, and Goodyear is also working on edge computing IoT.

Werner discusses the use of advanced sensors and tires in commercial vehicles. Sightline basis, a tire intelligence platform, is being implemented in fleets in Europe. The industry is transitioning towards more autonomy in the vehicle, and different levels of autonomy are well-defined. Traditional OEMs are moving towards a higher degree and a higher level of autonomy. Soon, there will be OEMs that do this type of information for their system and also to inform their customers.

When considering the detection of ice on the road in autonomous vehicles, tire data can assist. Once on the ice, there is not much to do anymore, and the car is already veering and swerving. Sensors in the tire work with the rest of the sensor suite of road prediction services, such as camera systems and light assist to recondition algorithms accordingly. The information is used to detect friction potential.
Werner Happenhofer, Vice President Tire Intelligence and eMobility Solutions

Werner joined Goodyear in 2023 with more than 20 years of experience in organizations such as Continental, ZF, Hella and Eaton. He has an extensive background leading global teams and a track record of working directly with customers and internal and external stakeholders to build collaborative partnerships and bring new technologies and innovations to market.

As vice president, Tire Intelligence and eMobility Solutions, Werner is responsible for ramping up Goodyear’s initiatives in connected products and services, while also leading the charge to partner and invest in seed-to-growth-stage startups in emerging mobility technology.

Werner is a proven leader with a strong engineering, operational and sales and marketing mindset. He has a proven track record of securing funding for new business opportunities and has developed meaningful relationships in the automotive industry that he has leveraged to foster co-innovation. He has a master of science degree in engineering from the Technical University of Munich.

About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 74,000 people and manufactures its products in 57 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

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