Bridgestone, a global leader in premium tyres and sustainable mobility solutions, has announced a significant investment in a state-of-the-art driver-in-the-loop (DIL) simulator at its EMEA R&D Centre near Rome, Italy. This latest addition enhances its Virtual Tyre Development (VTD) capabilities and reinforces the company’s commitment to fully digitalising the tyre development process. The advanced DiL simulator will enable Bridgestone to integrate tyre and vehicle simulations with Artificial Intelligence (AI), driving innovation, improving sustainability, and reducing time to market.
Bridgestone has been leveraging VTD technology for over a decade, and the introduction of its own DiL simulator marks a significant step forward. This new system allows engineers to virtually replicate tyre behaviour, vehicle dynamics, and performance under various conditions, incorporating input from expert test drivers.
By integrating AI technology, Bridgestone can evaluate a broader range of design possibilities at an accelerated pace. This approach enhances tyre performance optimisation and facilitates the virtual testing of innovative design concepts, streamlining the development process.
The investment in DiL simulation enhances innovation, accelerates market speed, and optimises development efficiency. It strengthens Bridgestone’s ability to produce premium Original Equipment (OE) and replacement products while improving collaboration with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). The ability to develop tyres and vehicles simultaneously through rapid joint iterations ensures a more seamless integration of technologies.
Bridgestone’s new on-premises DiL simulation is set to play a crucial role in its sustainability journey. By reducing the number of manufactured prototypes and physical testing requirements, the company expects to save up to 12,000 experimental tyres annually. This reduction translates to a significant decrease in CO2 emissions.
Bridgestone’s proprietary VTD technology has already cut raw material consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 60% during OE tyre development and by at least 25% for replacement tyres. The latest investment is another step towards achieving the company’s sustainability goals.
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Bridgestone applies data-driven predictors and physics-based simulations to all its products, from premium OE developments to next-generation tyres. Integrating an in-house DiL simulator significantly expands these capabilities, creating a comprehensive digital ecosystem that enhances innovation, speed, and flexibility.
The company is investing in a state-of-the-art dynamic driving simulator from VI grade, expected to be fully operational by the end of 2025. With this technology, Bridgestone plans to apply the DiL approach to up to 50% of OE developments annually. While initially focused on dry handling assessments, the company is working to broaden its application to other tyre performance areas and market segments.
“This investment in our internal DiL simulation capabilities is a major milestone as we build a comprehensive ecosystem for accurately predicting tyre performance in the virtual world. It also allows us to experiment with new and innovative combinations of designs and materials in a fully virtual environment,” said Emilio Tiberio, Chief Technology Officer at Bridgestone West.
“Bridgestone is one of the leading investors in R&D within the industry, committing over €800 million annually worldwide. This next step aligns with our Bridgestone E8 Commitment. As a sustainable solutions company, we continue to innovate while reducing time to market. Simultaneously, we are enhancing our joint development processes with OEMs and improving the sustainability of our R&D activities.”
With this latest investment, Bridgestone reaffirms its position at the forefront of tyre innovation, delivering cutting-edge solutions while prioritising sustainability and efficiency in tyre development.