When the Fisker Ocean arrives in the UK in 2023, all versions of this electric SUV will wear Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyres. Fisker will fit the Potenza Sport in two sizes, 255/50 R20 and 255/45 R22, to Ocean models sold throughout Europe. Customers in North America will receive the Potenza Sport on selected models, and Fisker will fit the all-season Bridgestone Alenza Sport to other models.
Prototype testing of the Fisker Ocean commences in the final quarter of this year and Fisker will debut the Ocean at the upcoming 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show ahead of commencing production in November 2022. Fisker says it will extensively employ recycled materials in the Ocean, including an entirely vegan interior, and the SUV will be available with an optional photovoltaic solar roof.
The carmaker tasked Bridgestone with engineering low rolling resistance tyres in order to conserve the Ocean’s battery energy. It says the Potenza Sport tyres additionally “deliver an optimal driving experience focused on ride comfort and handling stability.” This is one of the first pairings of Enliten technology with its new UHP tyre; the tyre maker shares that Enliten reduces rolling resistance by up to 30 per cent and tyre weight by up to 20 per cent (based upon Bridgestone testing with the tyre size 225/40R18 XL 92Y). This equates to up to 2kg fewer raw material resources required to produce every tyre.
Reducing time & resources
Bridgestone developed the tyres at its European R&D Centre in Italy and will produce them at its Poznan plant in Poland. It utilised virtual tyre development technology to create the customised tyres for the Fisker Ocean. This enables the accurate prediction of a tyre’s performance without producing and physically driving it for the first part of the development process. In addition to making tyre development more sustainable, efficient, accurate and flexible, virtual tyre development cuts raw material consumption and CO2 emissions by approximately 60 per cent and reduces product development time and speed to market by up to 50 per cent. Fisker says the technology’s use in this project supports the Fisker Ocean’s “ambitions to be the world’s most sustainable vehicle” and will help to accelerate the project’s development time.
Strong sustainability agenda
“At Bridgestone, we see EVs as a huge opportunity to help achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and make mobility more environmentally sustainable,” says Laurent Dartoux, president and chief executive officer, Bridgestone EMIA. “But there are still many barriers to overcome before a fully electric future can be realised, and Fisker – like Bridgestone – is working to break those barriers down. Not only making EVs more accessible, Fisker is built from the ground up with a strong sustainability agenda that we wholeheartedly support. It’s brilliant to unite our shared ambitions and work together to achieve them.”
“We are thrilled to work with Bridgestone, a global leader in tyres and sustainable mobility, who shares our values and designed premium tyres that are the perfect match for the Fisker Ocean,” adds Henrik Fisker, chairman and chief executive officer of Fisker. “We have the ambition to make the most sustainable SUV featuring class-leading ride, handling, and range, and Bridgestone will play a key role in achieving this goal. We look forward to continuing to work closely together, collaborating on performance engineering and the technical development of the tyres.”
