Goodyear secures grants for tire projects

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Goodyear secures grants for tire projects
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$ n0 b& p7 u6 G, a: q: v8 hMonday, August 15, 2011
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6 B6 [! x! `' n- jAkron, OH - The days of manually adding air to under-inflated tires could be a distant memory thanks to a new innovation under development in laboratories at Goodyear Tire & Rubber. Goodyear’s Air Maintenance Technology (AMT) will enable tires to remain inflated at the optimum pressure without the need for any external pumps or electronics. All components of the AMT system, including the miniaturized pump, will be fully contained within the tire. “While the technology is complex, the idea behind the AMT system is relatively simple and powered by the tire itself as it rolls down the road,” said Jean-Claude Kihn, Goodyear senior vice president and chief technical officer. Goodyear did not provide an estimate as to when this technology would be available at tire retailers, but said the timetable would be accelerated due to recent government research grants in United States and European Union. The United States Department of Energy’s Office of Vehicle Technology announced it has awarded a $1.5 million grant for research, development and demonstration of the AMT system for commercial truck tires. The grant will be administered by the National Energy Technology Laboratory and work will be conducted at Goodyear’s Innovation Center in Akron. In July, Goodyear successfully applied for a grant from the Luxemburg government for research and development of an AMT system for consumer tires. That work will be conducted at Goodyear’s Innovation Center in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg. In addition, The DOE’s Office of Vehicle Technology also announced that it will award a $1.5 million grant for a joint project between PPG Industries and Goodyear to improve the rolling resistance and fuel efficiency of tires.