As part of its sustainable mobility showcase at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas from January 5-8, Bridgestone is to display its Smart Corner solution. This is a demonstration of the ability to enhance the performance, comfort and efficiency of electric and autonomous vehicles, while maximizing the lifespan of tyres and air springs.

The solution combines premium Bridgestone tyres and Firestone Airide (previously Firestone Industrial Products) air springs that are engineered specifically for electric and autonomous vehicle applications.

The Smart Corner solution uses embedded, cloud-connected sensors in both the tyres and air springs, enabling Bridgestone to deliver real-time and predictive insights that elevate safety, efficiency and productivity. The Bridgestone Enliten EV concept tyre 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 Enliten EV Concept Tire is paired with Firestone Airide Concept EV Air Springs, designed as part of the integrated corner system tyre to optimise 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 maximising 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 Tyre 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 tyre and spring.

These digitally enabled insights drive awareness and action to maximize safety in electric and autonomous vehicles, while enabling Bridgestone mobility solutions to anticipate vehicle needs and connect customers directly to services that increase productivity and convenience, extend product life, and deliver improved sustainability for the zero-emission, carbon-neutral future of mobility.