Goodyear to end tyre pumping?

AMT will enable tyres to remain inflated at the optimum pressure without pump usage. 

The system, which will include a miniature pump, will be contained in the tyre.

Jean-Claude Kihn, Goodyear senior vice president and chief technical officer, said even though the technology was complex, the idea behind the AMT system was simple. 

"The AMT will be powered by the tyre as it rolls down the road and a tyre that can maintain its own inflation is something drivers have wanted," said Kihn.  

Goodyear did not say when AMT would be available at tyre retailers but said the system's research would be accelerated due to grants in United States and European Union.

The United States Department of Energy’s (DoE) Office of Vehicle Technology gave Goodyear a $1.5-million grant for research and development of the AMT system for truck tyres and earlier in 2011, the company obtained a grant to develop an AMT system from the Luxembourg government.

“While similar in concept, there are differences in AMT systems for passenger and commercial tyres,” said Kihn.  

The DoE said it will award a grant for a joint project between PPG Industries and Goodyear for the improvement of the rolling resistance and fuel efficiency of tyres through the use of tread and inner liner technologies.