Amidst the transformative AI landscape and 5G connectivity in vehicles, smart tires have emerged as the undisputed vanguard. This shift is largely attributed to their ability to maximize fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
Resultantly, the global smart tire market is expected to reach USD 200 Billion by the end of 2033, experiencing remarkable growth from USD 95 Billion in 2023, driven by a compelling CAGR of 7.8%.
Author’s note: In our analysis, we discovered surprising R&D investment from prominent tech giants such as Apple, IBM, Qualcomm, and Intel within the tire industry. Want to know the reason behind these investments? Find the insights here.
Numerous companies employ diverse strategies to develop, test, and introduce more efficient, high-performance smart tires.
In this report, we explore 10 startups and companies, their groundbreaking advancements, and strategic priorities that echo through the leadership of R&D in the tire industry.
1. The SMART Tire Company
| Founding Year | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Tech Solution | Airless, durable, puncture-proof tires crafted from NiTinol+ |
Founded in 2021, SMART (Shape Memory Alloy Radial Technology) Tire is a US-based startup that emerged as part of the FedTech NASA Startup Program in collaboration with NASA Glenn Research Centre. The firm holds the distinction of being a commercial licensee of NASA’s revolutionary super-elastic tire technology.
The Solution:
SMART tires were first created for Lunar and Martian rovers to overcome the shortcomings of thin aluminum tires. These airless tires are made of NiTinol+ (nickel-titanium) and are highly durable and puncture-proof. The shape memory alloy used in SMART tires offers both the elasticity of rubber and the strength of titanium, allowing the tire to bend, unbend, expand, and contract with considerable force. The tire also has the ability to fully regain its original shape through molecular-level phase transitions, even after being subjected to extreme deformation.
Their patent, US20230081635A1, also protects the innovative tire in the US. The patent suggests a substantial influence on tire design and performance in various vehicles, including scooters, bicycles, cars, trucks, and aerospace applications. They plan to launch their first commercial offering, METL™, an airless bicycle tire, in the last quarter of 2023. (Source)
2. Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd
| Founding Year | 1909 |
| Headquarters | Kobe, Hyogo, Japan |
| Tech Solution | Adaptive Tire Tread Innovation for better performance |
The Sumitomo Rubber Group, a prominent Japanese tire and rubber company, is researching to enhance tire tread technology. This technology aims to adjust tire tread properties, enabling tires to perform better on different road conditions, including wet or icy surfaces.
We came across multiple patents by the company that talked about adjusting the hydrophilic/hydrophobic interactions of the tire to maintain its grip performance on various road surfaces.
The Solution:
As mentioned in one of their patents, EP4163330A1, the science behind this innovation lies in incorporating thermo-responsive materials into the tire tread.
The patent further discusses using a butadiene-based elastomer for tire tread to improve grip performance at high and low temperatures. The material’s hydrophobic properties allow for excellent dry grip in warmer conditions, while its hydrophilic properties enhance ice grip performance in colder temperatures. (Source)
Funding and Collaboration:
Sumitomo Rubber Industries has added Dunlop Slazenger Group Ltd and Micheldever Tyre Services to its portfolio through acquisitions. Their most recent acquisition of Micheldever Tyre Services on January 5, 2017, was valued at £215 million. (Source)
3. Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden
| Founding Year | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Dresden, Germany |
| Tech Solution | Elastomeric material with mechano-adaptive properties |
The Solution:
The tire material, developed by the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research in Dresden, Germany, possesses mechano-adaptive properties. It is formulated by incorporating hydrated Calcium Sulphate (CaSO4.xH2O) into a natural rubber matrix.
This Calcium Sulphate mixture can change its mechanical characteristics when exposed to water. During this transformation, CaSO4 forms crystalline structures of CaSO4.xH2O, significantly improving the material’s mechanical and thermal properties.
Additionally, this composite can adapt to temperature changes, allowing adjustments to strength, stiffness, elasticity, and plasticity.
The institute has reported a significant 100% increase in the material’s elastic modulus and an approximate 20°C enhancement in its maximum degradation-rate temperature. They’ve also published their findings in a research paper and filed a patent US10435543B2 for this technology in 2017, which was subsequently published in 2019. (Source)
4. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co
| Founding Year | 1898 |
| Headquarters | Akron, Ohio, United States |
| Tech Solution | Electricity-generating tires that can charge batteries |
Based in the US, Goodyear is developing, manufacturing, and marketing affordable tires suitable for all weather conditions. One of its breakthrough innovations involves concept tires, BH03, that can convert the heat developed during rolling motion into electrical energy.
The Solution:
Goodyear’s concept has also been disclosed by one of their patents, US10035385B2. The invention utilizes piezoelectric and thermoelectric smart materials to make tires capable of producing electricity. Both these materials are placed as a deformable structure incorporated inside an annular cavity in contact with the tire tread, as shown in the image below.
The Piezoelectric material deforms as the tire bends during motion and generates electricity, while the thermoelectrical material collects the heat generated during this motion and converts it into electricity. The energy produced in this way can then be used to charge a vehicle’s batteries. (Source)
Funding and Collaboration:
On February 22, 2023, Goodyear invested in Signal Akron, valued at $5 million. (Source)
5. Continental Reifin Deutschland GMBH
| Founding Year | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Hanover, Germany |
| Tech Solution | Display device to enhance tire safety by monitoring tire pressure |
The Germany-based manufacturer Continental, has always made it a priority to enhance tire safety. This is evident through its patent portfolio, which discusses using smart materials sensors to monitor tire condition.
The Solution:
One of Continental’s standout patents, DE102021201662A1, introduces a display device (to be placed on the tire’s tread) designed to enhance tire safety by monitoring the tire pressure.
When the tire experiences deformation due to low pressure, the temperature in the affected area rises. This triggers the thermochromic smart material in the display device to change color. The color change is a clear and immediate indicator that the tire’s pressure has dropped to a critical level, typically 5% below the target value. This, in turn, can help avoid unnecessary fuel consumption during a low-pressure state and ensure safety before it’s too late.
Funding and Collaboration:
Continental has undertaken 23 investments, with their latest occurring on April 4, 2023. On April 4, 2023, Continental participated in a Series B investment round for Recogni, valuing the company at €21 million.
In addition to their investments, Continental has acquired 14 organizations, including Kathrein Automotive, DRUST, and Zonar Systems. On July 1, 2019, they acquired Merlett Group, marking their most recent acquisition. (Source)
6. StreetScan
| Founding Year | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Massachusetts, United States |
| Tech Solution | Predicting road conditions with the help of different sensors |
The startup offers timely, precise, cost-effective information regarding Pavement, Sidewalk, Ramp, and ROW asset conditions. Its services involve forecasting the condition of various roads by harnessing data from various sensors (including visual, radar, and acoustic sensors) attached to the undersides of vehicles.
These sensors collect data related to the state of the road and pavement. The exclusive software platform processes the gathered data, and the resulting analysis is then shared with clients through a decision-support tool.
The Solution:
StreetScan utilizes vehicles equipped with 3D cameras and sensors to monitor the conditions of roads and pavements, traffic lights, street signs, and the brightness of street lights. This data is then analyzed with trained algorithms, all without interrupting traffic. Using data from sensors like acoustic and tire pressure, their software can determine the condition of any road. (Source)
One of their co-founders “Ming L. Wang” owns a patent US9377528B2 which discloses mapping roadway conditions. This can be achieved by collecting the geo-position of vehicles and other data from acoustic sensor systems installed on the wheels of vehicles. Then, the geo-location data can be correlated with roadway surface condition data to produce a map of the roadway surface condition.
Funding and Collaboration
StreetScan has raised $880K in funding over 2 rounds. They raised their latest funding from a Seed round on Dec 30, 2016. StreetScan is funded by MassChallenge. (Source)
7. Nanjing SENASIC Electronic Technology
| Founding Year | 2018 |
| Headquarters | Shanghai, China |
| Tech Solution | Compact, light, affordable, energy-efficient, highly reliable sensors |
Founded in 2018, Nanjing SENASIC is a Chinese startup that offers Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors.
Its main products include the automotive tire pressure sensor series, the MAP sensor series, and the industrial-grade wireless temperature sensor series for the Internet of Things.
Author’s note: Senasic is a Chinese startup, and such a company is difficult to spot using market research. We analyzed recent patents and found this company by its Chinese name.
The Solution:
Senasic develops a low-cost, highly reliable fabrication process that helps generate cost-effective, accurate sensors for tire pressure management. It works in low-power MCU, high-precision ADC, low-frequency 125kHz interface, acceleration detection interface, RF transmission, and other core functional modules. SENASIC has accumulated a lot of experience in chip packaging, testing, calibration, and reliability technology to ensure the automotive quality of sensor products. (Source)
They have patents like CN208730717U, related to tire pressure monitoring integrated circuits that are cost-effective and easy to manufacture. Other patents like CN208747626U disclose sensor packaging techniques with reduced development costs. It involves describing the utilization of prefabricated substrates and MEMS sensors that can be placed in a cavity within the substrate.
Further, they have similar patent applications like CN108996467A & CN108726468A, describing MEMS pressure sensors and their packaging structure.
Funding and Collaboration
SENASIC has raised CN¥500 million in funding through four funding rounds, with their most recent Series D round closing on July 14, 2023.
They have gathered support from 10 investors, including Morning Road Capital and Enterprise Mixed Ownership Reform Fund.
Additionally, SENASIC acquired Gainsil on June 6, 2022, as part of its growth strategy. (Source)
8. Revvo Technologies
| Founding Year | 2018 |
| Headquarters | California, United States |
| Tech Solution | AI-based tread wear prediction |
Revvo provides a sensor-enabled AI-based software platform to monitor vehicle tires. Its platform helps drivers and fleet managers better understand the overall health of the tires on their vehicles. This results in increased vehicle uptimes, optimized efficiency, and improved safety. Revvo is also applying a data science-centric approach to bring intelligence to the only part of the vehicle that touches the road.
The solution:
Revvo has developed a sensor device for monitoring tire conditions, having a microprocessor that performs initial processing operations regarding tire characteristics and is coupled with an antenna, which wirelessly communicates with external devices.
Revvo’s sensor-enabled artificial intelligence platform gathers this data and provides accurate predictions, contributing to increased vehicle uptimes, optimized efficiency, and improved safety. (Source1 Source2)
They have patents related to tire sensor devices, particularly for determining driving conditions and tire degradation. For example, US20210181063A1, filed by their co-founders Sunjay Dodani and Wing-Hong Andrew KO, claims to use multiple sensors (such as an accelerometer & temperature sensor) to gather and store data in memory.
They have also filed a patent to protect the method of installing and securing such sensors on the inner surface of tires using suitable bond compositions, e.g., US20210370726A1
Funding and Collaboration:
Revvo has secured $10 million in funding across four rounds, with their most recent funding coming from a Seed round on May 13, 2022.
Revvo receives support from 8 investors, with Cercano Management and Norwest Venture Partners being the most recent additions.
9. StatCap
| Founding Year | 2018 |
| Headquarters | Arizona, United States |
| Tech Solution | Bluetooth Enabled tire pressure monitoring |
StatCap offers a Bluetooth-enabled bicycle tire pressure monitoring system to help prevent crashes and performance losses caused by lower tire pressure and temperature.
Its app helps users plan trips using the integrated map and pressure-sensing data and find the best possible routes with minor tire damage.
The Solution:
StatCap integrates a wireless sensor into the bicycle wheel and uses a remote device as a control/monitoring unit in the telemetry system. It displays data related to acceleration, tire pressure, and temperature. Additionally, it provides an alert in case the pressure level is alarming or a remote device is not found within the defined distance. The device logging and real-time monitoring features help the rider act accordingly. (Source)
Not only this, one of the founders, Kurt Stillman, also owns patent rights to wheel telemetry systems. His patents, US10179621B2 & US10532785B2, discuss the real-time data transfer to bicycle riders using wireless communication devices and various sensors like accelerometers, pressure sensors & temperature sensors.
The data may include one or any of the following: the rotation speed of the wheel, type of road surface, sudden acceleration or deceleration events, tire pressure, and temperature. Additionally, the system may alert riders through audio, visual, and/or haptic alerts if it detects abnormal air pressure.
These patents also describe a power-saving mode. In this mode, the microcontroller and control unit can go into inactive sleep mode unless accelerometer data matches the range of pre-stored data. They also seem to claim the use of solar panels to charge the batteries to extend the system’s run time.
Funding and Collaboration
StatCap has successfully secured over $70,000 in a single pre-seed round thus far. (Source)
Furthermore, StatCap’s tire pressure monitoring system has been seamlessly integrated into the TAHUNA mobile application, enhancing navigation and route planning reliability. (Source)
10. Tyrata
| Founding Year | 2015 |
| Headquarters | North Carolina, United States |
| Tech Solution | Tread Wear Detection |
Tyrata has developed a portfolio of IntelliTread products that monitor and predict tire wear for a real-time depot and service lane and contribute to consumer decision-making.
The Solution:
Tyrata has developed an assembly of magnetic sensors placed in the tread grooves. Once connected to a camera, this sensor uses ‘Infrared Radiations’ to determine tread grooves’ depth (and change in depth) and calculate their wear. Tyrata is also developing a platform to predict treadwear in advance by considering the current state of treads and historical data. (Source1, Source2)
They have also recently obtained patents related to the filed inventions. For example, US20200400420A1, filed by Duke University professor Steve Cummer, claims a method to measure the thickness of a material, specifically tire treads, to determine the wear. The measurement is based on the capacitive sensors, which may be placed on the inner surface of tires. It can generate an electric field between two sensor electrodes. Measuring the interference of this electric field with rubber and tread structure may help determine the current thickness and, hence, the extent of wear. So, the fundamental concept of this measurement is based on the mechanics of how electric fields interact with different materials. They have also filed other patents on similar principles, such as US20210114419A1.
Moreover, they also seem to be working on measuring tread profile/wear by detecting infrared radiation from the tread, as disclosed in WO2020086698A1.
Funding and collaboration
Tyrata has gathered $10 million in funding across four rounds, with their most recent financing round occurring on March 4, 2022, as Debt Financing.
Three investors currently support Tyrata, with Bridgestone Americas and Dealer Tire being the most recent additions. (Source)
Conclusion
In the past two centuries, the tire industry has navigated numerous transformations. One significant change has been the shift in innovation focus.
These advancements pave the way for more intelligent tires adapting to diverse road and weather conditions, offering enhanced traction, durability, and safety. Collaborations across industries are ready to accelerate these changes and redefine our daily commutes.
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Authored By: Dilraj Kaur and Rachna Chaudhary, Patent Analytics
Edited By: Ridhima Mahajan, Marketing
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