Tyres & Accessories reports that Bridgestone Corp. has successfully tested prototype passenger tires produced entirely with alternative natural rubber derived from its guayule project in Arizona.
The tires were produced at the Bridgestone Technical Center in Japan using guayule natural rubber cultivated at its Biorubber Process Research Center, and the tiremaker claims it made “similar passenger tires” at its technical center in Rome, Italy, earlier this summer.
Bridgestone said the production of these prototype tires the “next step in understanding guayule’s role in the tire industry.” Bridgestone’s timetable for guayule involves its practical application to tires in the 2020s, and to be using guayule exclusively by 2050.