First public airing for Goodyear’s self-inflating tyre system
Amongst the innovations on show at Goodyear Dunlop’s Stand during the Geneva Motor Show is the company’s Air Maintenance Technology, which has been under development in Goodyear’s laboratories over the past two years and now being displayed publicly for the first time. The AMT system requires no external pump, electronics or driver intervention and is promoted as a technology that relegates the need to check tyre pressure to the dustbin of history. While Goodyear Dunlop claims it is too early to predict when AMT will be ready for its commercial launch, development work continues and is being supported by grants provided by the US and Luxembourgish governments.
Explaining the importance of this hands-off system, Jean-Claude Kihn, Goodyear senior vice-president and chief technical officer, said that “consumers often overlook the importance of maintaining proper tyre pressure. We believe this technology will enhance safe driving and performance; and have a positive impact on the environment through improved fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and extended tire life. The progress we have made is very encouraging and we are now ready to demonstrate it in Geneva for the first time.”
Last year The United States Department of Energy’s Office of Vehicle Technology awarded Goodyear Dunlop a US$1.5 million grant for research, development and demonstration of the AMT system for commercial truck tyres conducted at Goodyear’s Innovation Center in the tyre maker’s home town of Akron, Ohio. Goodyear also successfully received a grant from the Luxemburg government for research and development of an AMT system for consumer tyres; work on this has been carried out at Goodyear’s Innovation Center in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg.
“Goodyear Dunlop has always been proactive in research and development and we are looking forward to displaying a range of innovations that people will never have seen before,” commented Jean Pierre Jeusette, general director Goodyear Innovation Center Luxembourg. “These technologies have been specifically developed to meet the ever-changing requirements of modern consumers and society focused on safety, performance, sustainability, the environment and convenience.”
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