Fleets Test Goodyear's AMT Device

Goodyear will begin testing its Air Maintenance Technology (AMT) for commercial vehicles on U.S. trucking fleets in the next few months as part of a research project supported by U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Vehicle Technology.

Since 2011, the tire manufacturer has been developing and testing AMT to aid in fuel savings and carbon dioxide reductions, while potentially improving tire life, casing durability and safety, and eliminating need for manually inflating tires.

During the next 18 months, several trucking fleets in the U.S. and Canada will test AMT in their normal daily operations.

The maker claims that AMT enables tires to remain inflated at a specified cold inflation pressure without the need for external pumps or electronics. The system utilizes peristaltic pump technology to automatically maintain tire pressure at fleets' desired levels. All components of the AMT system, including the pump, are fully contained within the tire.

The DOE’s Office of Vehicle Technology has provided a $1.5 million grant to assist in the Akron-based research, development, and demonstration of the AMT system for commercial vehicle tires.