At the 15 November close of comments on NHTSA’s proposed
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Ruling, it has become clear that almost
all currently available TPMS systems are less than ‘safety standard’ when it
comes to immediately registering critical tire pressure events.
From the 80 comments provided to NHTSA on their Final
Ruling, it appears that ETV Corporation’s VisiTyre is the only system with the
capability of immediate response on ignition. All other systems vying for the
emerging market for TPMS integration cannot by their own admission, report the
tire pressure status at the time of ignition and then only work when the vehicle
has been driving for between six minutes in the best case scenario, and up to 60
minutes in the worst case scenario.
'One can only wonder how NHTSA can possibly regard these
TPMS products as Safety Systems and allow them to be included in any minimum
standard, when they suffer from obvious safety shortcomings' says Gregg
Eichhorn, ETV Global Business Manager. 'They don’t appear to work unless the
vehicle has actually moved off into the traffic, which seems to defeat the whole
intent of the mandate, particularly when they can take up to 60 minutes of
driving to function accurately. It is hard to imagine that a product that does
not function immediately a vehicle is turned on can be considered as a legally
mandated safety product, when there are TPMS products out there that can achieve
this basic function.'
Phil Cohen, ETV’s Technical Director, explains that ‘the
inability to immediately report, is a limitation which is inherent with all
battery powered radio frequency wheel sensor modules, but is simply not an issue
with VisiTyre. VisiTyre gets rid of the sensor battery by replacing it with
electromagnetic coupling technology . . . the instant the ignition is switched
on, each wheel sensor is powered and every tire’s status, including the spare,
is immediately available to the driver. . . as well being a true safety system
the electromagnetic coupling has zero maintenance.”
A common theme of comments submitted to the DOT’s docket
management system is that TPMS products must exhibit a minimum standard level of
common sense functionality. The majority of submissions reflect an emphasis on
functionality rather than on safety and appear to be directly related to
overcoming the limitations of their battery powered TPMS technology. Public
Citizen sums up the situation with its comment that elements of NHTSA’s proposed
rulemaking appear to be: ‘blatantly crafted for the singular purpose of
accommodating less effective safety technology’.
'The TREAD Act has created an almost unique situation in
the US Auto Industry, where in the case of TPMS no standard was established
prior to the legislation being enacted. A strong stand should be taken by NHTSA
to ensure that the standard established for implementation of the Tread Act TPMS
Mandate under their Final Ruling is indeed a true Safety Product without
compromises that could potentially jeopardise the US motoring publics safety’
says Mr Cohen.
ETV Corporation, based in Sydney Australia, is a Government
approved Technology Research and Development Company, specialising in micro
electronics and systems components design and software, for the monitoring of
tire pressure in all forms of rubber wheeled machinery.
PRWEB
13-12-2007 10:04:16 AM +1000
Additional Media Reports