Bridgestone made the statement during its participation at the Electric Vehicle Innovation Summit (EVIS), which is being held from May 23 to 25, 2022 in Abu Dhabi. During the summit, the company noted the growing demand for premium tyres and tyre technologies specific to EV requirements.

Stefano Sanchini, Regional Managing Director at Bridgestone Middle East, and Africa said: “Bridgestone is fully committed to aligning its business model with circular economy and carbon neutrality across the value chain. Knowing that EVs are vital innovations to reduce the transport sector’s carbon emissions, we are moving towards developing tyres that can answer all relevant needs concerning this special type of vehicle.”

Sanchini shared his insights on the sustainable mobility revolution at EVIS as one of the panellists of this year’s gathering. The Bridgestone executive was part of the panel discussion titled ‘Investing in the Future of Mobility.’

He was joined by Mike Granoff, Managing Partner at Maniv Mobility (Israel); Alex Gilbert, Head of Energy & Electrification‐ Commercial Development at Transport for London (UK); Sophia Nadur, Managing Partner at bp Ventures (UK); and Karine Singh, Managing Director at Total Energies (UAE). Ahmed Samir Elbermbali, Managing Director at Clean Energy Business Council (UAE), moderated the panel discussion. 

“Investing in technologies able to support the future of transport is crucial. To be a part of the global sustainable mobility ecosystem, we have to be more proactive in achieving our long-term environmental targets and goals. For Bridgestone, it has been engaged in pioneering superior products for accelerated EV development and adoption,” Sanchini added.

Bridgestone offers a portfolio of superior EV tyres and tyre technologies that are engineered to provide excellent handling and control, short braking distances and exceptional grip in all weather conditions.

Capitalising on huge opportunities in the EV market, the leading tyre brand formed a partnership with electric car startup Fisker to launch an all-electric SUV in several European markets. 

It also acquired the Arvento Mobile Systems, a digital fleet solutions provider that offers fleet management services to customers in Turkey and the Middle East. In addition, it teamed up with Webfleet Solutions to help boost the efficiency of the automotive market.

Ultra-low rolling resistance and optimised design for an EV that delivers an incredible range in the real world

Bridgestone designed bespoke Turanza Eco tyres that combine its proprietary and lightweight ENLITEN Technology to reduce tyre rolling resistance and weight by up to 20%[1], along with its ologic technology designed to enhance battery range by means of a large tyre diameter to reduce rolling resistance, and a narrow tyre width to reduce aerodynamic resistance.

In collaboration with Mercedes-Benz’s aerodynamic department, the tyre also comes with optimised sidewalls and a bead area design that match the covers mounted on the 20-inch, forged-magnesium wheels, greatly improving the tyre’s aerodynamics.

Virtual tyre development

The tyres were developed using Bridgestone’s virtual tyre modelling and simulation capabilities, which enable a digital version of an in-development tyre to be created and tested. Using this technology means that development time was cut considerably.

Bridgestone leveraged the virtual environment for a large part of the development process, enabling prediction of how the tyre would perform in different conditions before physically building it. The increased flexibility offered by virtual tyre development enables Bridgestone to test far more variants of a given tyre, thanks to the speed at which modifying a tyre’s digital twin and immediately testing it can take place. Additionally, this virtual tyre development delivers multiple environmental benefits, as both natural resource use and exhaust emissions are cut, thanks to a lower number of prototypes that need to be produced and tested.

A successful co-development

The collaboration on this project sets the stage for the future of EV tyres and is underpinned by a shared EV-ready vision between the companies.

Emilio Tiberio, COO & CTO at Bridgestone EMIA, said: "As part of our commitment to help shape a sustainable future of mobility, Bridgestone is proud to have co-developed with its long-term partner the right tyres for a project as innovative as this. The Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX is a project that is totally aligned with our own EV ambitions and targets, especially as we are investing to make electric mobility more efficient and accessible through a fully integrated approach. This includes pioneering premium tyres and tyre technologies able to tackle the greatest EV challenges. This is especially true as we heavily invest in EV tyre development – currently allocated over 30% of our R&D resources – and improve upon our technologies in 2022.”

This project aligns with the Bridgestone E8 Commitment that serves as the axis to drive management while earning the trust of future generations. The Bridgestone E8 Commitment consists of 8 Bridgestone-like values starting with the letter “E” (Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease, and Empowerment) that Bridgestone will commit to creating together with employees, society, partners and customers to realize a sustainable society. This project aligns with “Energy: Committed to the realization of a carbon neutral mobility society”, “Ecology: Committed to advancing sustainable tire technologies and solutions that preserve the environment for future generations” and “Efficiency: Committed to maximizing productivity through the advancement of mobility”.

[1] Based on Bridgestone internal data comparing Bridgestone premium summer tyres with and without ENLITEN Technology in the same tyre size (92Y 225/40R18 XL).