Real-time tire insights for smarter mobility
09/07/2026
Tire pressure monitoring is becoming increasingly relevant for efficiency and safety on the road – whether for motorcycles, cars or commercial vehicles such as buses, trucks, as well as their trailers.
Accurate tire pressure monitoring contributes to extended tire lifetime, reduced fuel consumption, and the prevention of traffic accidents.
At Electronica India in September 2026, Bosch will introduce the next step in the evolution of its SMP290 tire pressure sensor, designed to support the growing demands of intelligent tire sensing applications. This compact MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) sensor, which has an integrated Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) interface, was originally developed for valve-based TPMS, but it can also be used for in-tire mounting. This expands the potential for predictive monitoring.
For fleet managers of commercial vehicles, tires are the second-largest factor in operating costs after fuel. That is why prolonging their lifespan is a key priority. On top of that, low tire pressure can increase the risk of roadside incidents and vehicle downtime – especially when the load is high, the road conditions harsh, and the operating hours long. This makes tire pressure monitoring systems valuable in large countries with long driving distances such as India, where tire failure can happen at inconvenient places while transporting goods. This results not only in costly downtime, but also in operational disruptions due to delayed deliveries and risks to the transported goods. Especially trailers are a blind spot: Their tire conditions are often insufficiently monitored.
“Fleet managers need to find the sweet spot in time to change tires. Changing them too early means losing money and changing them too late means the truck might get stranded somewhere. Maintaining the correct tire pressure is crucial for saving fuel and cutting costs.”
With the SMP290, Bosch has developed an extremely compact and power-efficient MEMS sensor for tire pressure monitoring. It combines all the essential components for tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), including a microcontroller, a 2-axis acceleration sensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, and an integrated Bluetooth interface. Since it is a one-chip solution, it operates with minimized power consumption. The Bluetooth connection allows tire data to be read via smartphone and to be fed into fleet management systems. This provides operators with fleet-wide transparency, eliminating the need for manual tire inspections when vehicles return to the depot and helping maximize the tire lifetime.
Until now, the SMP290 tire pressure sensor was offered for valve‑based TPMS. While this system is effective, it has some limitations. Since it measures air pressure rather than the tire condition itself, it detects pressure loss accurately, but it may detect other critical events too late. Nevertheless, the SMP290 already delivers performance levels that enable its use in advanced in-tire mounting applications for commercial vehicle fleets, cars, and two-wheelers.
From September 16 to 18, 2026, customers in India can experience the SMP290 tire pressure sensor at Electronica India in Bangalore. By monitoring the tire’s true rubber temperature and tire pressure, operators receive real-time insights into its condition. This helps to detect overheating or tire wear at an early stage, issuing a warning based on the tire’s actual condition to prevent roadside incidents. With the SMP290’s in-tire sensing technology, fleet managers in India and around the world can efficiently implement predictive maintenance based on objective tire life cycle data. This helps to optimize tire utilization and reduce operating costs.
“For commercial vehicles and trailers, in-tire sensing is not just about advanced vehicle dynamics features. It is about creating measurable business value through predictive tire management. This results in higher uptime, safer operations, fewer delivery disruptions, better protection of goods, and lower total operating costs."
Correct tire pressure is essential for two-wheelers, too. In India, motorcycles and scooters make up the majority of vehicles on the roads, yet tire pressure monitoring has so far been far less common in this segment than in other vehicle types. Thanks to its compact size and long battery life of up to ten years, the SMP290 is particularly well-suited for two-wheeler applications. Its Bluetooth interface allows riders to check tire pressure directly via a smartphone app, enabling them to detect slow tire leaks early and thereby improve safety.
Bosch draws on its long-standing expertise in MEMS sensor technology to support customers well beyond the sensor itself. As a technical solutions provider with local teams, Bosch offers software integration support to customers worldwide – from initial setup to fine-tuning power and memory usage for the specific application. In India, Bosch is collaborating with several companies specializing in direct tire pressure monitoring systems and smart sensor technology, to deploy the SMP290 in commercial vehicles and two-wheelers. The sensor is distributed in India through Millennium Semiconductors.
1. Flexible application solution : available for valve-based as well as in-tire sensor solution
2. Bluetooth connectivity: fully integrated tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology
3. Ultra-low power consumption : low power consumption thanks to one-chip solution
4. Smartphone access : mobile device notifications about current tire status
5. Predictive tire management: higher uptime, safer operations, fewer delivery disruptions and lower total operating costs