BRUSSELS, Belgium—Bridgestone said it has been chosen by the BMW Group to develop a range of tires for its i3 electric vehicle.
Bridgestone said it had to come up with a new tire concept for the vehicle.
“(Our) answer came in the form of the ologic technology, which capitalizes on the synergies of a large diameter coupled with a narrow tread design. The result is a tire that delivers significant improvements in aerodynamics and rolling resistance, while still offering outstanding grip in wet weather conditions,” Bridgestone said in a news release.
The company said the ologic technology is intended to realize one of its ‘long-term vision' goals to contribute to a globally agreed-upon target of 50 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
“Developing a unique tire for this unique vehicle was therefore an enormously challenging but also rewarding experience,” said Franco Annunziato, CEO and president of Bridgestone Europe.
Released together with the BMW i3 in November 2013, the Ecopia EP500 ologic tire is available in four sizes—155/70 R19 84Q, 175/60 R19 86Q, 155/60 R20 80Q and 175/55 R20 85Q—and two winter varieties—the BLIZZAK LM-500 ologic a lamellen tire [uni-directional studless] and the BLIZZAK NV ologic a studless tire.
The new Bridgestone i3 tire is the latest product of a partnership with BMW both on and off the racing track. Over the past 17 years, that partnership has included a long list of original equipment fitments, joint technological developments (such as run-flat technology tires), collaboration on BMW's Driving Experience and working as an development partner for the BMW i3.