Bridgestone Corporation will provide the 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC) with new Enliten technology tires featuring the first application of recycled materials developed through co-creation with partners that increase the ratio of recycled and renewable materials to over 65%. The company will supply the tires to 33 teams from 17 locations.
The BWSC, which will take place August 24-31, challenges participants to traverse approximately 3,000km across the Australian continent using only limited solar power.
Bridgestone will supply tires with Enliten technology, which helps deliver the performance required for solar cars and advance sustainability. For the first time, Bridgestone has applied recovered carbon black and steel, recycled materials developed and produced through co-creation efforts.
Bridgestone has said it will use the BWSC as a mobile laboratory to further develop its technologies in support of future sustainable motorsports. Working with participating teams and exploring performance limits supports the company’s commitment to “accelerating innovation for the future of mobility”, it says.
Sustainability for the 2025 BWSC
Through collaborations, Bridgestone has developed a tire featuring 65% recycled and renewable materials. Recovered carbon black obtained from a precise pyrolysis of end-of-life tires, in collaboration with Eneos, was used to achieve this. This recovered carbon black will be used for the the first time in the tires developed for the 2025 BWSC.
Recycled steel: Nippon Steel and Sanyo Special Steel
Since 2022, Bridgestone has been collaborating with Nippon Steel Corporation and Sanyo Special Steel to promote the recycling of end-of-life tires. For the first time in BWSC tires, the company has incorporated bead wire, a reinforcement material for tires made from recycled steel, obtained from end-of-life tires collected at the Bridgestone Tire Recycle Center in Osaka. The steel is processed in Sanyo Special Steel’s electric furnace and then rolled and heat-treated into bead wire at Nippon Steel’s facility.
Evolution of Enliten technology
The tires developed for the 2025 BWSC will feature Bridgestone’s Enliten technology. Bridgestone says that, in collaboration with partners, it has further improved environmental performance by incorporating Twaron — a circular-content aramid material supplied by Teijin Aramid. These tires are designed to meet the specific demands of solar vehicles, offering low rolling resistance, durability, lightweight construction and puncture resistance. This is said to support safe and efficient performance over the 3,000km distance of the BWSC.
Tire shipping
Bridgestone works with DHL, using its GoGreen Plus solution. Using sustainable maritime fuel it enables the reduction of CO2 emissions by up to 85% across the entire lifecycle (well-to-wake) of fuel production, transportation, storage and onboard use.
In related news, Bridgestone Americas has launched the Bridgestone Turanza EverDrive touring tire, featuring a next-generation compound that helps protect against irregular and premature wear. Read the full story here
