Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems are Mandatory on All New Vehicle Models in the European Union as of 2012.
Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems will be mandatory on ALL (new and old) vehicles in the European Union in 2014.
The BERU Tire Safety System (TSS) satisfies the technical requirements for greater safety, lower fuel consumption and reduced CO2 emission in an optimal manner.
Ludwigsburg, October 13 2009: A resolution adopted by the European Parliament stipulates that, in the future, all vehicles in the European Union must be equipped with a tire safety system that monitors tire inflation pressure. The new regulations, which were passed on March 10, 2009 by a large majority, are part of the EU climate package with which the Brussels-based body intends to improve traffic safety and environmental protection throughout Europe. Gunter Verheugen, Vice President of the EU Commission, calls the regulation a "milestone on the road to greater environmental compatibility and traffic safety". On the US market, tire safety systems that monitor inflation pressure have been required on all new vehicles with a total permissible weight of 4.5 tons since 2007. In Europe, all new vehicle models and all new automobiles will now be required to have such systems as of November 2012 and November 2014, respectively. BERU TSS: safe, comfortable, environmentally friendly
As the first directly measuring system, the BERU TSS is the first of its kind to have been factory-installed by leading manufacturers as standard or as an optional extra since 1998. It currently provides greater safety in vehicle models from Alfa Romeo, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Porsche and VW.
Now in its third generation, the system consists of a compact control unit with integrated antenna and four wheel electronic units. With this latest development, the number of components to be installed has been reduced to a minimum, providing an even better price/performance ratio for automakers. The system notifies the driver of sudden as well as slow loss of tire pressure and protects against irksome flat tires or accidents that can result from incorrect tire pressure. It monitors tire pressure while driving and informs the driver of a deviation of as little as 0.2 bar from the specified tire pressure by means of a vehicle model-specific control and display module.
BERU concentrates its efforts on the development of directly measuring systems for tire pressure monitoring. Compared to indirectly measuring systems, the BERU TSS is characterized by considerably better measuring accuracy and greater immunity to interfering signals. Using special sensors, the TSS measures the air pressure directly at each individual wheel. In contrast, indirectly measuring systems calculate the tire inflation pressure using data derived from existing ABS sensor readings, and respond slower, only after a pressure loss of 25 to 30 percent.
Drivers who rely on their indirectly measuring tire pressure monitoring system are often unknowingly driving with much lower tire pressures than drivers without a tire pressure monitoring system who check their tire pressure regularly. According to the new EU requirements, the details of which are still pending, such systems must send a warning signal to the driver at a pressure loss of 20 percent in the case of a flat tire, or when the tire inflation pressure drops below a minimum pressure of 1.5 bar. Since indirectly measuring systems cannot measure an absolute tire pressure, but rather record a pressure loss by means of the difference in wheel rpm, such systems must be calibrated absolutely correctly by the driver each time air is added to the tires in order to achieve the required measuring accuracy. Errors when performing this procedure can easily affect proper operation of the system.
Honored already in 2007 with the Allianz safety award, the BERU TSS not only contributes to greater security in road traffic; it also helps to lower fuel consumption and thus reduces CO2 emissions. Inspections have shown that currently every third car in the European Union is being driven with tires with low air pressure, as tires gradually lose from three to six percent pressure per month and, without TSS, this loss of pressure goes unnoticed by the driver. Con-sequence: If, for instance the tire pressure is low by 0.6 bar, an automobile uses up to 4 percent more fuel. Moreover, the service life of the tires is reduced by up to 45 percent as a result. According to a study conducted by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in cooperation with tire manufacturer Bridgestone, about eight billion litres of fuel are wasted worldwide per year due to improper tire pressure. This corresponds to an additional CO2 output of 18.4 million tons per year.