Bridgestone tries to reinvent the wheel with new airless tyre that will never puncture, but this is why it won't appear on your next car

After almost 20 years of prototyping, Bridgestone is finally doing a commercial rollout of its airless tyres, though expect to be waiting a while for it to be offered on everyday cars.

Dubbed Airfree, the Bridgestone airless tyres will be equipped to a fleet of autonomous electric vehicles (EVs), which look like elongated golf carts.

These autonomous EVs with the Airfree tyres will be used for a rideshare service in Higashiomi City in Japan, which is a mountainous area with a rising number of elderly residents.

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Bridgestone has been developing its Airfree tyres since 2008 and it’s now onto its third-generation version. These are made for thermoplastic resin with the outside covered with a layer of rubber.

As reported by Nikkei Asia, which had the opportunity for a test ride, the autonomous EV with the Airfree tyres has a top speed of 20km/h and demonstrated the ability of climbing steep hills and poorly paved roads.

This low top speed limits a wider rollout of the Airfree tyre to mainstream vehicles.

Other limitations include performance issues, high costs, as well as weight and efficiency. However, an upside is that punctures are not possible due to the non-pneumatic design of the tyre.

Bridgestone Airfree tyres

At this stage Bridgestone still has no clear timeline for mass production and a wider rollout of its Airfree tyres.

Despite this, the company is expecting to take learnings from the Airfree tyres and implement it in other products. For example, it’s developing lunar rover tyres with a metal structure that’s based on the Airfree tyre’s design.

Looking beyond Bridgestone, Michelin is another company that is looking to roll out airless tyres.

Bridgestone Airfree tyres

Its UPTIS (Unique Puncture-Proof Tyre System) tyres were revealed in 2019 as an airless tyre concept for passenger cars.

Michelin had partnered with General Motors and aimed to bring them to market in 2024. This still hasn’t happened.

While it’s unclear whether airless tyres will ever be available for everyday cars, Michelin does already offer the Tweel airless radial tyres for ATVs, golf carts and ride-on mowers, among other small commercial applications.