News - 2019

Bridgestone to supply solar car tires using fuel-efficient tire technology to 32 teams competing in the 2019 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge

2019/09/27

TOKYO (September 27, 2019) -- Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) will supply solar car tires using its fuel-efficient tire technology to 32 teams participating in the 2019 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC), for which Bridgestone is the naming rights sponsors.

Held in Australia once every two years, the BWSC is the world's foremost solar car race. The 2019 race event will begin on October 13, 2019, and racers will compete on a course spanning 3,000 km from Darwin on the northern edge of Australia to Adelaide on the southern edge over a period of approximately five days.

The solar car tires "ECOPIA with ologic" to be supplied to teams competing in this race are fuel-efficient tires designed specifically for solar cars using fuel-efficient tire technology from Bridgestone, "ologic." "ECOPIA with ologic" tires ensure the necessary durability while featuring reduced rolling resistance. Tires using ologic technology are narrower than standard tires with a wider diameter, making for a shape that realizes high levels of fuel efficiency and safety. The wider diameter limits changes in the shape of the contact patch to yield lower rolling resistance, which improves fuel efficiency. In addition, the narrower shape reduces air resistance while driving.

"ECOPIA with ologic" solar car tires

This event partnership seamlessly aligns with the three priority areas of the Bridgestone global corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitment, Our Way to Serve: mobility, people and environment. The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge embodies that philosophy with their purpose to contribute to the development of solar cars, support young engineers, and contribute to the environment while using a new power source: solar light. The Bridgestone Group employs innovation and technology to improve the way people move, live, work, and play.

Teams to be supplied with tires by Bridgestone (as of September 27, 2019):
*No	Team	School	Country / Region
5	SunSPEC	Singapore Polytechnic University	Singapore
7	Adelaide University Solar Racing Team	Adelaide University	Australia
8	Agoria Solar Team	Solar Team vzw	Belgium
9	Onda Solare	University of Bologna	Italy
10	Tokai University Solar Car Team	Tokai University	Japan
11	SolarCar-Team Hochschule Bochum	Bochum University of Applied Sciences	Germany
12	Cambridge University Eco Racing	University of Cambridge	United Kingdom
14	Flinders Automotive Solar Team	Flinders University	Australia
15	Western Sydney Solar Team	Western Sydney University	Australia
16	Stanford Solar Car Project	Stanford University	United States of America
18	UiTM EcoPhoton Solar Racing Team	Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)	Malaysia
25	IVE Engineering Solar Car Team	Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education	Hong Kong
30	Team Arrow	Team Arrow Racing Association	Australia
35	University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project	University of Minnesota	United States of America
37	Goko High School	Goko High School	Japan
40	Solar Team Eindhoven	Eindhoven University of Technology	Netherlands
41	MTAA Super Sol Invictus	The Australian National University	Australia
42	TAFE South Australia	TAFE South Australia	Australia
45	Lodz Solar Team	Lodz University of Technology	Poland
47	NITech Solar Racing	Nagoya Institute of Technology	Japan
49	Siam Technology Motor Sport (STC3)	Siam Technology College	Thailand
51	Chalmers Solar Team	Chalmers University of Technology, Department of Industrial and Materials Science	Sweden
55	Mines Rabat Solar Team	National School of Mines Rabat	Morocco
66	CalSol	University of California, Berkeley	United States of America
75	Sunswift	University of New South Wales	Australia
77	Blue Sky Solar Racing	University of Toronto	Canada
80	Sun Shuttle	Beijing Institute of Technology	China
82	KUST (Kookmin Univ. Solarcar Team)	Kookmin University	South Korea
84	Team Solaris	Dokuz Eylül University	Turkey
88	Kogakuin University Solar Team	Kogakuin University Solar Team	Japan
92	Eclipse	École de technologie supérieure	Canada
98	ATN Solar Car Team	Australian Technology Network of Universities	Australia

Overview of BWSC:

1.Official Name：: 2019 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge
2.Date：: October 13-20, 2019
3.Host Country：: Australia (Start: Darwin; Goal: Adelaide)
4.Host：: South Australian Tourism Commission

5.Race Classes：

(1) Challenger Class

A race to reach the goal the quickest in vehicles designed for speed; vehicles require four wheels and one driver.

(2) Cruiser Class

A race testing vehicles' energy efficiency and practicality; vehicles must have four wheels and be able to be ridden by one driver and more than one passenger.

(3) Adventure Class

A race open to vehicles that are based on the criteria for participating in previous BWSC races or that otherwise do not meet the requirements to compete in the Challenger Class or Cruiser Class.

About Bridgestone Corporation:
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. In addition to tires for use in a wide variety of applications, it also manufactures a broad range of diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nations and territories around the world.