Bridgestone to Showcase its Vision of Sustainable Mobility at CES 2023

Bridgestone will demonstrate its comprehensive vision for sustainable mobility at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas from January 5-8. At CES 2023, Bridgestone will showcase renewable natural rubber and tire recycling, “Smart Corner” digitally connected tires and air springs for EVs, and will offer a digital concierge experience for personal and fleet vehicle management.

At CES 2023, Bridgestone said it will debut its vision of end-to-end tire ownership and vehicle management with the goal of carbon-neutral transportation and sustainable mobility. Bridgestone said it has committed to the target of increasing the use of recycled and renewable materials to 40% of its resources by 2030 and achieving the goal of using 100% sustainable materials by 2050. At CES, the company plans to showcase its goal of providing a sustainable tire economy. Bridgestone is co-developing tire recycling technologies with Firestone Airide as part of its EVERTIRE INITIATIVE.  

The solution combines Bridgestone tires and Firestone Airide air springs that are engineered specifically for electric and autonomous vehicle applications. The Smart Corner solution uses embedded, cloud-connected sensors in both the tires and air springs, enabling Bridgestone to deliver real-time and predictive insights that elevate safety, efficiency and productivity. The Bridgestone ENLITEN EV Concept Tire is constructed of new materials that are both renewable and energy-efficient, reducing rolling resistance to increase battery range while meeting the demands for higher loads and wear resistance associated with EVs, the company said.

The renewable source of natural rubber Bridgestone plans to use is derived from the guayule plant, which produces a form of natural rubber. Guayule is a desert shrub native to arid regions of the U.S. and Mexico and requires 40% less water than crops such as alfalfa and cotton, grown today in the American southwest. The company said it invested more than $100 million in the development and commercialization of guayule-derived natural rubber and currently operates a 281-acre research farm, a bio-processing pilot plant and several grower partnerships with local farmers and Native American tribes. Bridgestone said it is working to educate local growers on climate-smart farming techniques and irrigation, with the aim of planting more than 25,000 acres of guayule before the end of the decade.

The ENLITEN EV Concept Tire is paired with Firestone Airide Concept EV Air Springs, designed as part of the integrated corner system tire to optimize efficiency and ride quality. This digitally connected air spring will adapt to dynamic loads and enable active suspension systems to further isolate noise, vibration and harshness, while maximizing safety and efficiency without compromise to ride comfort. The air spring also enables proactive vehicle ride-height adjustment to maximize aerodynamic efficiency, improve user accessibility and protection of underfloor components in urban and off-road environments.

Both the ENLITEN EV Concept Tire and the Firestone Airide Concept EV Air Spring feature integrated sensors that collect air pressure, temperature and accelerometer data that, when combined with Bridgestone’s proprietary data analytics technology, can inform native vehicle systems with real-time estimations of corner loading, road surface conditions and the performance capabilities of the tire and spring. The technology is designed to maximize safety in electric and autonomous vehicles, extend product life, and deliver improved sustainability for the zero-emission, carbon-neutral future of mobility.

To learn more, visit the Bridgestone website here.