With EVs entering the market promising a more environmental approach to mobility, Bridgestone has also come to the party after announcing a new tyre that is comprised 63% of recycled materials. Here are details on the Enliten rubber.
The automotive world has developed a more environmental conscience. Fewer emissions, eco-friendly materials and an overall impetus to gravitate towards less of a carbon footprint but this is not reserved exclusively for automakers but ancillaries to the massive industry too. Bridgestone is a contributor that has recently unveiled its new Enliten technology which will be used by teams competing at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC).
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The tyres are custom-designed to meet the unique challenges of the 3 000 km race across Australia and are developed using 63% recycled and renewable materials.
“Bridgestone has always endeavored to support safety in motorsport where drivers are repeatedly challenged under extreme conditions and situations. The company maintains immense pride and passion, and a relentless commitment to the evolution of technology, production, logistics, brand power, and talent development through motorsport. Bridgestone celebrates the 60th anniversary of its motorsport activities in 2023 and keeps the endeavor to support sustainable global motorsport.”
The Enliten technology has been aimed primarily for the EV era which boasts low rolling resistance and wear and tear that will help in the cross-country solar challenge in the Land Down Under. The tyres themselves include a recycled renewable material ratio (Material Circularity Number) of 63% which is an improvement of approximately 30% to the previous BWSC in 2019. The recycled and renewable materials used in the development of these tires include recycled organic fibre, recovered carbon black, recycled rubber chemical, recycled oil, and reinforcement material using recycled steel. Furthermore, tyres supplied to the cruiser class were additionally developed using rice husk silica and carbon black recovered through pyrolysis of the used tyres.
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Encompassing the entire lifecycle of the tyres, Bridgestone has also ensured low carbon emissions for logistical transportation of the tyres with DHL.
Through the use of DHL’s GoGreen Plus solution, the transport of tires to the BWSC will be a 100% carbon neutral shipment through a combination of using sustainable marine fuel (insetting) and compensation of emissions via VER Gold Standard carbon credits (offsetting).
Naotaka Horio, Director, Bridgestone Motorsports added: “As title sponsor, we are looking forward to helping young and diverse engineering minds from all over the world create breakthrough technologies in the BWSC that can play a role in a more sustainable mobility society of the future.”
