Bridgestone Americas held the world debut of its new Turanza EV grand touring tire, the company’s first-ever replacement tire it says is designed specifically for premium electric vehicles and the first to feature Bridgestone ENLITEN technology.
Launching immediately at tire retailers nationally, the new Bridgestone Turanza EV grand touring tire was purposefully designed to account for the unique vehicle dynamics of EVs, providing excellent tread life, minimal ride noise and confident wet handling to complement the electric vehicle experience, the tiremaker says. Designed, developed and manufactured in North America, the initial five sizes include fitments for Tesla Model 3, Model S, Model X, Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E, with 13 additional sizes launching in early 2024.
Bridgestone says its Turanza EV tire is the first replacement market tire in North America to feature ENLITEN technology, which is engineered to help optimize all-season performance, provide longer wear life, and allow for the incorporation of renewable and recycled materials in its tire products.
Bridgestone says the ENLITEN technology focuses on:
–Next-generation tread compound designed with wear life and all-season performance, including wet performance, in mind.
–New structural components that help provide balanced ride comfort, excellent steering feel and controlled noise.
–Increased efficiency for both ICE and EV platforms through rolling resistance and wear optimization.2
-Supporting an increased use of renewable and recycled materials such as:
•Recycled carbon black from end-of-life tires
•Synthetic rubber derived from recycled plastic bags and bottles
•Renewable soybean oil
•Rice Husk Silica derived from rice husks, which gives a meaningful purpose to a typically discarded byproduct of rice harvesting
Bridgestone adds it plans to grow and evolve ENLITEN technology and design features to deploy across its entire product line in the future. A new ENLITEN technology debuting on the Bridgestone Turanza EV is PeakLife, a next-generation polymer technology that enhances tread resistance to wear, aiding in enabling extended tire life.
“With the accelerated progress toward an electrified vehicle fleet, we’re thrilled to launch a tire that is designed to help drivers get the best overall experience from their electric vehicles, including ride comfort, all-season driving performance and excellent wear life,” said Riccardo Cichi, president and chief sales officer, Bridgestone Americas. “We are also excited to introduce ENLITEN, which marks a major pivot in how we approach tire technology and design to deliver both exceptional dynamic performance and increased use of renewable and recycled materials.”
Bridgestone’s development of the Turanza EV aligns with the Bridgestone E8 Commitment, which consists of eight Bridgestone-like values starting with the letter “E” (Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease and Empowerment). By developing an electric vehicle replacement tire, Bridgestone says it is delivering on its “Energy,” “Ecology” and “Ease” commitment.
