Bridgestone tests airless tires on autonomous vehicles at Japan plant

Tokyo – Bridgestone and Japanese autonomous vehicle developer ‘eve autonomy’ are testing airless tires on Level 4 autonomous transport vehicles at Bridgestone's Nasu plant in Japan.

The partners announced 29 Oct that trials combining eve autonomy's driverless transport technology with Bridgestone's AirFree tires had confirmed "stable operation" under actual production conditions.

The trials, which began in June, aim to evaluate the effectiveness of combining Level 4 autonomous driving technology with tires that require no air-pressure management and eliminate the risk of punctures.

The companies have been studying the technology combination since 2024, using eve autonomy's unmanned transport vehicles.

The vehicles operate autonomously in non-public-road environments, including factory premises, without requiring driver intervention.

AirFree uses recyclable, spoke-shaped thermoplastic resin to support vehicle loads instead of compressed air, eliminating the need for inflation.

The design is intended to improve "resource productivity and maintenance efficiency," while reducing the risk of vehicle downtime.

Initial tests were conducted at the B-Mobility test track at Bridgestone Innovation Park in Kodaira, Tokyo.

These confirmed that vehicles fitted with AirFree could operate "without affecting autonomous driving functions," Bridgestone said.

The trials also found that the absence of air-pressure fluctuations prevented changes in tire characteristics, while "high steering responsiveness" allowed vehicles to follow designated routes consistently.

The partners now plan to continue evaluating the technology, including through tire analysis using vehicle operating data.