Bridgestone’s autonomous journey gains traction at Goodwood

Bridgestone has helped bring a vision of autonomous driving to life for thousands of onlookers to appreciate, in a unique glimpse into the future of mobility at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The tyre manufacturer partnered with The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) at the first UK showing of its latest autonomous driving technology. At the same time, members from three IAC university teams are on the ground conducting scans and digitally mapping the Goodwood Hillclimb to support IAC’s 2024 return for a historic autonomous hillclimb challenge. Bridgestone formed a partnership with the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) in 2020 to supply tyres and technical expertise for the world’s first autonomous high-speed racing competition and its bespoke Potenza products are now helping to drive autonomous motoring to the next level.Bridgestone’s North Region Vice President Andrea Manenti said: "Our work with the Indy Autonomous Challenge, its partners and its participating teams is part of a shared passion to push the boundaries of self-driving car technology and increase public awareness of the positive impact that automation can have on society. "These efforts closely align our vision at Bridgestone to create new value as a sustainable solutions company. This vision extends beyond tyres to advance sustainable technologies and digital platforms that support a world of future mobility that includes electric, autonomous and connected vehicles. "Through the IAC, we’re able to help university engineering teams understand the role tyres play on vehicle performance and how they can be incorporated as part of the design and development process for autonomous technologies." The IAC is exhibiting as part of the festival’s Future Lab area, which gives an insight into the future of mobility with concepts that may become a reality in our lifetime. The Indy Autonomous Challenge is based in Indiana, U.S. and organises a series of competitions among full-scale autonomous racecars. Last month, the IAC announcedthat team PoliMOVE won the first-ever autonomous driving road course time trial competition, held at the Monza "Temple of Speed." The historic feat took place as part of the Milan Monza Motor Show (MIMO) at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Bridgestone’s involvement in the Indy Autonomous Challenge also aligns with its Bridgestone E8 Commitment that serves as the axis to drive management while earning the trust of future generations. The E8 Commitment consists of eight Bridgestone-like values starting with the letter ‘E’ (Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease, and Empowerment) that Bridgestone will commit to creating together with employees, society, partners and customers to realize a sustainable society. The sponsorship aligns with: ‘Energy’: Committed to the realisation of a carbon neutral mobility society’, ‘Ecology’: Committed to advancing sustainable tyre technologies and solutions that preserve the environment for future generations" and ‘Efficiency’: Committed to maximizing productivity through the advancement of mobility".