Based in Japan, Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company.
Hopium, France’s first manufacturer of hydrogen-powered vehicles, is partnering with Bridgestone to develop tyres for its Hopium Machina saloon. Bridgestone will create the tyres using its proprietary Virtual Tyre Development technology, working to a remit of minimising rolling resistance in order to enhance the car’s 1,000-kilometre range.
Several tyre makers plan to offer tyres containing natural rubber from non-conventional sources. Bridgestone Americas has been working to commercialise guayule shrub rubber for a decade and recently announced the upcoming motorsport debut of a race tyre made with guayule rubber grown and extracted at its R&D facilities. It will introduce the new Firestone Firehawk at the Indy Pit Stop Challenge on 27 May ahead of the race tyre’s competitive premiere in August.
Bridgestone has launched the semi-slick Bridgestone Potenza Race, its first ever tyre day tyre for the replacement market. In testing conducted by TÜV SÜD at the 6.115km Nardo circuit in Italy, the tyre was able to improve upon average times set by three leading competitor tyres over three laps by an average of more than two seconds. It was also ranked second for longevity, and delivered class-leading dry braking at Bridgestone’s European proving ground. The Potenza Race is homologated for public roads, but with performance focussed on track days. Developed and manufactured in Europe, the Potenza Race will be available in 13 popular sizes between 17 and 20 inches from June 2022, supporting the most commonly sighted hot hatchbacks and sportscars at track days.
Mercedes-Benz AG has selected Bridgestone as the tyre development partner for its Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX. The outcome? Bridgestone engineers collaborated with Mercedes-Benz to create custom-designed tyres to contribute to a real-world range of 1,000km on a single charge. According to Bridgestone, 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.”
Bridgestone has confirmed a second year of partnership with the Hawkers European Talent Cup (HETC). As of this year, the tyre manufacturer is also official partner of the Federation Française de Motocyclisme (FFM) and sole supplier for the Objectif Grand Prix (OGP), the French national championship dedicated to promising young riders. Bridgestone says it shares the passion for competition and performance that are the basis of motorcycle racing.
On 18 April, the Board of Directors at Bridgestone Corporation decided to strengthen the company’s global management structure by appointing two joint global chief operating officers. Paolo Ferrari will join Masahiro Higashi, who has served as Bridgestone’s global chief operating officer since July 2020, in this capacity on 1 May 2022. Both report to Shu Ishibashi, Bridgestone Corporation’s global chief executive officer. Ferrari’s remit will expand to include responsibility for Bridgestone’s business in Europe.
Bridgestone Americas has commenced an exclusive partnership with carbon capture and transformation (CCT) specialist LanzaTech NZ, Inc. to address end-of-life tyre waste. The two companies will co-develop the first dedicated end-of-life tyre recycling process leveraging LanzaTech’s proprietary CCT technology.
Bridgestone’s VX-Tractor tyres have been approved for selected New Holland T6 and T7 Series tractors within the UK and Ireland. 28 sizes are currently available in diameters of 28 to 42 inches as factory fit. The tyre comes with a full 10-year warranty.
Bridgestone’s telematics solutions provider, Webfleet Solutions will present the first global edition of the annual Webfleet Mobility Conference online on 26 April 2022. Titled ‘Mobility 2032: Are you ready?’, fleet and mobility experts will share insights and best practices to equip fleet decision-makers and business leaders with knowledge, inspiration and practical tools to design the fleets of tomorrow.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute has awarded Bridgestone Americas a research grant to advance its optimisation of guayule, a drought resistant, desert shrub that shows promise as a local source of natural rubber for tyre production. Bridgestone has spent more than a decade researching guayule rubber for use in tyres.
For the fourth consecutive year, Bridgestone Corporation has been selected for inclusion in the FTSE4Good Index Series. Announcing its continued presence within the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment index, the company says it will “continue various initiatives” across the value chain whilst striving to achieve what it set out in the Bridgestone E8 Commitment.
Bridgestone Mobility Solutions has become and “anchor partner” of Startup Autobahn, a mobility-focused innovation network. Moderated by Silicon Valley global open innovation platform, Plug and Play Tech Center. Startup Autobahn brings together industry-leading companies and startups to identify new ideas and develop cutting-edge technologies in the mobility sector. The Stuttgart-based platform brings together more than 30,000 start-ups and around 30 corporate partners, of which the Bridgestone EMIA data-driven fleet, tyre and mobility solutions business unit is now one. Startup Autobahn provides workshops, events, business development and investment opportunities to facilitate innovative networks in mobility technology.
At a ceremony held in Phoenix, Arizona this month, General Motors (GM) honoured 134 suppliers based in 16 countries. The vehicle manufacturer’s 2021 Supplier of the Year awardees included five tyre makers – Bridgestone Corporation, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Hankook Tire & Technology, Maxxis Tires and Michelin North America.
The range-topping Maserati Grecale Trofeo and mild-hybrid Grecale MHEV are now available in European markets with bespoke Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyres. Stellantis chose Bridgestone as tyre partner for its new D-segment utility vehicle (D-UV), and the tyre maker developed a version of its flagship tyre with a new tread compound and pattern.
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