PARIS—Michelin highlighted a research initiative to monitor the driving habits of thousands of motorists in real time at the Paris Motor Show from Oct. 4-19.
Deployed across Europe, the road-use laboratory will gather data in real time about how motorists with different driving habits use their vehicles every day. The findings will be used to support product innovation at Michelin.
Special measuring devices, equipped with Internet of Things technologies have been installed on 2,800 cars that are part of automobile fleets or belong to individuals, ranging from beginning to more experienced drivers.
The three-year study, which began last June, consists of monitoring each of the drivers every time they use their vehicle. Data gathered will include the number of kilometers driven and the speed.
The devices will record each time the driver accelerates or applies the brakes, both on straights and when cornering. Analyzed and cross-referenced with weather data and information about the roads' curviness and surface condition.
“The data will enable Michelin to further improve its understanding of driving habits so that its innovations will be ever more relevant,” said a company statement.
“Understanding how motorists drive is the necessary prerequisite to developing better tires that deliver performance in all areas that are meaningful for their users,” it added.
The French group estimated it invests more than $816.2 million in its R&D programs a year, and conducts 75,000 tests with consumers around the world and surveys around 11,000 tire buyers.