Five-year project aims to improve rolling resistance and boost fuel efficiency of Class 8 vehicles.

Bridgestone has announced plans to develop new tire technologies aimed at significantly reducing the environmental impact of heavy-duty Class 8 long-haul tractor trailer trucks.

The company will receive federal funding as a team member of the Cummins-Peterbilt SuperTruck II program. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will match the Bridgestone investment dollar-for-dollar, to create prototype tires in all three axle positions (steer, drive and trailer).

The program will incorporate six different tire technologies, including tire sizing, curing, casing construction, casing compounds, tread patterns and tread compounding.

The prototype tires are expected to deliver up to a six percent improvement in fuel efficiency through a 30 percent decrease in rolling resistance compared to the MY2009 baseline product tires, while meeting or exceeding customer expectations in wear and traction.

“Bridgestone is committed to engineering innovative products and solutions that maximize uptime, improve efficiency and deliver best-in-class performance for our commercial customers,” said Steve Charles, vice president of product development, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations.  “Additionally, this project is closely aligned with our internal goal to produce best in class products that contribute to reducing global CO2 emissions by 50 percent or greater by the year 2050.”