GT · Project

Battery-Free Tire Pressure Sensors That Cut Costs in Half and Eliminate Waste

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You know those tire pressure sensors in your car dashboard? They all run on tiny batteries that die after a few years, creating millions of units of electronic waste. A Spanish company figured out how to power these sensors using radio waves instead — no battery needed. Think of it like how a contactless bank card works without its own power source. The result is a sensor that's cheaper to make, lasts the lifetime of the tire, and doesn't leave battery waste behind.

By the numbers

200 million

TPMS units needed (4 per vehicle × 50 million vehicles)

50 million

vehicles to be equipped with TPMS

50%

cost reduction vs. current TPMS (half the actual cost)

99%

sensor functions consolidated into single ASIC chip

28%

estimated profit margin

0.55 M€

estimated profit in first sales year (2017)

2 years

projected return on investment

The business problem

What needed solving

Every new car sold in the US and EU must have tire pressure monitoring, creating a market of 200 million sensor units. Current systems rely on batteries that add cost, create electronic waste, and eventually fail — requiring sensor replacement. The automotive industry needs a cheaper, longer-lasting, and greener alternative that still meets all regulatory requirements.

The solution

What was built

The project built two physical demonstrators: a TPMS sensor system and a TPMS RFID sensor system. Both validate a battery-less approach that consolidates 99% of sensor functions into a single ASIC chip, cutting production cost roughly in half compared to existing battery-based systems.

Audience

Who needs this

Automotive Tier-1 TPMS module suppliers competing on costTire manufacturers embedding smart monitoring into productsCommercial fleet operators managing thousands of tire sensorsAutomotive OEMs seeking to reduce per-vehicle component costsWaste management companies dealing with battery recycling regulations

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Automotive Tier-1 Suppliers

enterprise

Target: TPMS module manufacturers supplying to car OEMs

If you are a Tier-1 supplier producing tire pressure monitoring modules — this project developed a battery-less RFID-based TPMS that consolidates 99% of sensor functions into a single ASIC chip. That means fewer subcomponents, simpler assembly, and roughly half the production cost of current battery-based systems. With 200 million TPMS units needed across 50 million vehicles, a cost-halving advantage is a serious differentiator in supplier bids.

Tire Manufacturing

enterprise

Target: Tire producers integrating smart sensor technology

If you are a tire manufacturer looking to embed monitoring technology directly into your products — this project built a demonstrator of a green, battery-less TPMS sensor system. Without a battery, the sensor doesn't degrade over time or add hazardous materials to the tire. This simplifies end-of-life recycling and positions your product for stricter EU environmental regulations on electronic waste in automotive components.

Fleet Management

mid-size

Target: Commercial fleet operators and logistics companies

If you are a fleet operator managing hundreds of trucks and trailers — tire pressure monitoring is critical for fuel savings and blowout prevention, but battery-based sensors require regular replacement across thousands of wheels. A battery-less TPMS eliminates that maintenance cycle entirely. The sensor lasts as long as the tire, reducing downtime and replacement costs across your entire fleet.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How much cheaper is this compared to current TPMS solutions?

According to the project data, the battery-less design cuts the cost to roughly half the price of existing TPMS systems. This comes from eliminating the battery, reducing subcomponents, and consolidating 99% of sensor functions into a single ASIC chip, which also lowers assembly costs.

Can this scale to automotive production volumes?

The project was designed with mass-market scale in mind. The objective references a market of 200 million TPMS units across 50 million vehicles. The single-ASIC design with 99% functional integration was specifically chosen to enable high-volume, low-cost manufacturing.

What is the IP situation — can we license this technology?

FARSENS, S.L. is the sole partner and IP owner. As a specialized RFID sensor company, they would be the point of contact for licensing, OEM partnerships, or supply agreements. Based on available project data, no other consortium members hold shared IP rights.

Does this meet the US and EU TPMS regulations?

The project objective states the system meets all technical specifications required by legislation. TPMS is mandatory in new cars in the USA and became mandatory for all new EU models, which was the primary market driver for the project.

What was actually demonstrated and tested?

The project produced two demonstrators: a TPMS sensor system and a TPMS RFID sensor system. These demonstrators validated the battery-less approach using passive RFID technology for real-time tire pressure monitoring.

How does the battery-less technology actually work?

The system uses passive RFID — the sensor chip is powered by radio frequency energy from a reader unit in the vehicle, similar to how contactless payment cards work. This eliminates the need for an onboard battery entirely, which is what enables the cost and environmental benefits.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a single-company project by FARSENS, S.L., a Spanish SME specializing in RFID sensor technology. The 100% industry consortium with no university or research partners signals that the core science was already mature — this project was about engineering a market-ready product, not basic research. FARSENS used SME Instrument Phase 2 funding specifically to move from proven technology to commercial product. For a potential business partner, this means you'd be dealing directly with the technology developer and manufacturer, simplifying any licensing or supply chain discussion. The risk profile is typical of a single-SME venture: high agility but dependent on one company's execution capacity.

How to reach the team

FARSENS, S.L. is a Spanish RFID sensor company — contact via their corporate website farsens.com or through SciTransfer for a facilitated introduction.

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Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing or supply partnership with FARSENS for battery-less TPMS? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction and provide a detailed technology brief.

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