The environment inside an automobile tire is typically harsh, with temperature extremes ranging from -25°C to 140°C. Often, these temperature extremes preclude the use of batteries for sensor nodes embedded inside an intelligent tire. The high vibration levels inside a tire have the potential to generate electrical power using vibration based energy harvesting techniques. In this paper, the feasibility of using an inertial vibrating energy harvester unit to power a sensor module being used to monitor the tire road interaction parameters is assessed. To predict the electrical power output of the generator, a generic analytical model based on the transfer of energy within the system has been derived. The vibration measurements taken from the test conducted using accelerometers embedded in the tire have been applied as an excitation to the model to predict the power output for a device of suitable dimensions and to study the feasibility of this concept. The power generator unit is adapted to the tire vibration spectra and the superimposed acceleration signal. The harvester utilizes the radial accelerations, which are impacts resulting from the tire–road contact and are present even at constant vehicle speeds. For the intelligent tire applications, a special compact harvester design has been proposed that is able to withstand large shocks and vibrations. Suitable mathematical models for different harvester configurations have been developed to identify the best configuration suited for use inside a tire. The harvester unit demonstrates power generation over a wide speed range and enables sensor systems to transmit tire information at desired rates. The proposed concept addresses one of the key challenges in the realization of the intelligent tire system concepts, by presenting a battery-less power supply unit which can generate power that is sufficient for a multitude of wireless platforms such as ZigBee and Wi-Fi protocols which are expected to find their way in the next generation intelligent tires. These harvesters designed for the harsh tire environments provide a distinct advantage in cost and flexibility of installation while extending the lifetime of the power supply for sensor data acquisition and communication. Results indicate the viability of the procedure outlined in the paper.