Goodyear Selected to Develop Fuel-Efficient Tires for U.S. Army Program

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Feb 08, 2010, 05:39 ET

AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT) has been selected as the exclusive developer of fuel-efficient military tires for the Fuel Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator (FED) program, under a contract awarded to Ricardo, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Ricardo plc. The FED program, launched in late-2008 by the U.S. Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren, MI, has the overarching goals of enhancing military vehicle technology, reducing fuel consumption on the battlefield, and reducing the nation's dependence on oil.

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Utilizing its Total Vehicle Fuel Economy (TVFE™) systems engineering expertise, Ricardo evaluated current and emerging technologies that can improve fuel efficiency over the entire vehicle. Identifying tire rolling resistance as having the single largest impact on vehicle fuel economy, Ricardo considered current military tire manufacturers and exclusively selected Goodyear to develop a new class of military tires that improve the fuel efficiency of current military tires without significantly impacting toughness or tread life.

"Goodyear is honored to be chosen by Ricardo for the FED program, and we are anxious to explore the possibilities of incorporating our proven Fuel Max™ Technology, originally developed for commercial truck tires, into military-application tires," said Maylon Carroll, Goodyear's general manager of military sales. "Ricardo's prior experience in implementing advanced technology into the Future Tactical Truck System (FTTS), together with Goodyear's vast experience in fuel-efficient commercial tire technology, will help develop the possibilities of technologically advanced, fuel-efficient vehicles for the U.S. military."

Developed and proven over millions of test miles, Goodyear's Fuel Max Technology for truck tires incorporates reduced rolling-resistance technology into the tire, which helps improve the number of miles per gallon, and can help result in substantial savings in fuel costs for the military.

In the FED program, Ricardo will apply its expertise in the development and manufacture of special vehicles and advanced automotive technology to create a demonstration vehicle that maximizes fuel economy while maintaining the capability and performance of light tactical wheeled vehicles. The project will ultimately produce a demonstration vehicle for testing at the U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground.

"Ricardo is proud and excited to be working with Goodyear as part of the TARDEC Fuel Efficiency Demonstrator program," said Robert Ellis, Ricardo's chief engineer for military vehicle programs. "Goodyear is an industry leader in the manufacture of military tires, and its decision to support this U.S. Army initiative to reduce fuel usage by transferring commercial tire technology into military applications will lead to tactical tires offering significantly reduced rolling resistance. If adopted by the fleet, this will help provide fuel economy improvements that could save taxpayers many millions of dollars."

A leader in the supply of fuel-efficient tires for heavy-duty trucks, Goodyear also offers fuel-efficient options for automobiles, including the new Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max – an all-season passenger car tire with a Fuel Saving Tread Compound.

About Goodyear

Goodyear is the largest producer of military tires in the United States and is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs approximately 71,000 people and manufactures its products in more than 60 facilities in 25 countries around the world. For more information about Goodyear, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

About Ricardo

Ricardo, the Eco-Innovation Technology Company, is a leading independent provider of technology, product innovation, engineering solutions and strategic consulting to the world's automotive, military, transport and new energy industries.

The company's skill base represents the state-of-the-art in low emissions and fuel-efficient powertrain technology, and can be best summarized: "Ricardo is Fuel Economy." Ricardo offers TVFE™, its Total Vehicle Fuel Economy engineering service, to transportation manufacturers and related government agencies worldwide to provide objective evaluation of all available technologies to identify the most cost-effective strategies to accomplish fuel economy and CO2 goals.

With technical centers and offices throughout Europe, the U.S. and Asia, Ricardo provides engineering expertise ranging from vehicle systems integration, controls & electronics, hardware and software development, to the latest driveline and transmission systems and gasoline, diesel, hybrid and fuel cell powertrain technologies. Ricardo's customers include the world's major automakers and suppliers as well as manufacturers in the military, commercial, off-highway and clean energy sectors. The company also serves in advisory roles to governmental and independent agencies. Ricardo's U.S. operation, Ricardo, Inc., is headquartered in Van Buren Township, MI. Ricardo plc posted sales of $296.6 million in financial year 2009 and is a constituent of the FTSE TechMark 100 index – a group of innovative technology companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.ricardo.com.

SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company