Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company debuted its self inflating tire Air Maintenance Technology at the the 2012 Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA) Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover, Germany, this week. The tires are intended for the commercial market where tire-related costs are the single largest maintenance item and proper inflation can have a sizable impact on fuel economy and tire life, the company says.

Engineers at Goodyear’s Innovation Center in Akron, Ohio, have been working on the technology for the last couple of years. According to Goodyear, the system is self-contained and doesn’t require external power, electronics or driver intervention. When the pressure in an AMT tire runs below optimal, a sensor in the tire opens valves in the tire wall. Deformation in the tire as it’s driven provides the necessary inflation pressure.

A $1.5 million grant from The United States Department of Energy’s Office (DOE) of Vehicle Technology is helping speed up research, development and demonstration of the AMT system for commercial vehicle tires. In addition, a grant from the Luxembourg government for R&D will further fund the company’s efforts to develop the AMT system for consumer tires.