NIRA Dynamics and the ESP manufacturer Hyundai Mobis have agreed on a pre-development project. Over a period of four months, NIRA will run tests to demonstrate their TPI (tire pressure monitoring systems) in the Hyundai i30. Work is underway now in NIRAs Mjärdevi premises.
"Vehicle manufacturers are very quality conscious and cautious about introducing new technology," says NIRA's CEO, Predrag Pucara. "They do it only when and if they are certain that it won't affect customers by reducing quality, and of course if new legislation requires the change. Car manufacturers prefer to try things out and get acquainted with a system before they decide to adapt the technology. We recognize the process from working with our European and American customers. And our Asian customers want to proceed in the same way."
Hyundai Mobis, a part of Hyundai Motor Company, has discovered the cost advantage with the kind of indirect systems NIRA develops, and they would like to be able to offer the indirect systems to their clients, mainly Hundai and KIA, as an alternative to the direct systems which are based on sensors in the tires which measure pressure and send signals to a central unit in the car. The indirect systems offer a lower cost, reduced maintenance, and software-based solution.
"Hyundai Mobis wants to evaluate our system, TPI by Nira, on site in South Korea. We plan to go there this month and expect that it will work", says Martin Peterson, Project Manager for TPI by Nira.
New EU legislation on mandatory tire pressure monitoring systems in all new cars will be introduced in November 2012. This legislation is expected to influence the vehicle industry in South Korea as well.
