Bridgestone Americas, Inc. has announced that the company will develop innovative new tire technologies aimed at significantly reducing the environmental impact of Class 8 long-haul tractor trailer trucks. Bridgestone will receive federal funding as a team member of the Cummins-Peterbilt SuperTruck II program. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will match the Bridgestone investment dollar-for-dollar, to create prototype tires in all three axle positions (steer, drive and trailer). The program will incorporate six different tire technologies, including tire sizing, curing, casing construction, casing compounds, tread patterns and tread compounding.
The prototype tires are expected to deliver up to a 6% improvement in fuel efficiency through a 30% decrease in rolling resistance compared to the MY2009 baseline product tires, while meeting or exceeding customer expectations in wear and traction, according to Bridgestone. At full implementation of the technology over the Class 8 vehicle population, nearly three billion gallons of diesel could potentially be saved per year, corresponding to 30 million metric tons of annual CO2 emissions reduction, the company said.
“Bridgestone is committed to engineering innovative products and solutions that maximize uptime, improve efficiency and deliver best-in-class performance for our commercial customers,” said Steve Charles, vice president of product development for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. “Additionally, this project is closely aligned with our internal goal to produce best in class products that contribute to reducing global CO2 emissions by 50% or greater by the year 2050. We are honored to be a part of the SuperTruck II program, working together with our partners to drive the industry forward and ensure a sustainable environment for current and future generations.”
