BRUSSELS & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--United in their vision for a more sustainable future of mobility, Fisker Inc. (NYSE: FSR) ("Fisker"), passionate creator of the world's most sustainable electric vehicles and advanced mobility solutions, and Bridgestone, a global leader in tires and rubber providing solutions for safe and sustainable mobility, are today announcing a new partnership. Fisker has selected Bridgestone as the exclusive tire partner for the much-anticipated Fisker Ocean all-electric SUV.
The Fisker Ocean will make its global debut at the upcoming 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show, with production starting on November 17, 2022. The Fisker Ocean features extensive use of recycled materials, including a fully vegan interior, and will come with an optional photovoltaic solar roof. The Fisker Ocean will sit on custom-developed Bridgestone Potenza Sport tires for vehicles sold in Europe and select models sold in North America. The bespoke Potenza Sport tires deliver an optimal driving experience focused on ride comfort and handling stability, and are engineered for low rolling resistance, which conserves the Fisker Ocean’s battery energy by ensuring that less power is required to move the vehicle’s tires.
The custom-engineered tire marks one of the first times Bridgestone Potenza Sport – the company’s premium ultra-high-performance sports tire – has been combined with its revolutionary, sustainable ENLITEN Technology. On average, ENLITEN Technology reduces the rolling resistance of a tire by up to 30% and its weight by up to 20%.1 This equates to up to 2kg fewer raw material resources required to produce every tire – an environmental benefit from both a resources and final end-of-life stage management standpoint. The use of ENLITEN Technology is key in ensuring that the Ocean’s tires have low rolling resistance, while Potenza Sport’s sporty pattern provides a dynamic and stable driving experience.
Bridgestone will also supply custom-designed Alenza Sport all season tires for Fisker Ocean models sold in North America. The Alenza Sport tires are engineered with a next-generation compound that provides enhanced dry braking, wet handling and improved rolling resistance to help drivers unlock the Fisker Ocean’s full performance capabilities.
The Fisker Ocean’s custom-made Bridgestone tires will benefit from Bridgestone’s ground-breaking Virtual Tire Development technology, which enables the accurate prediction of a tire’s performance without producing and physically driving it for the first part of the development process. Making tire development more sustainable, efficient, accurate and flexible, Virtual Tire Development cuts raw material consumption and CO2 emissions by approximately 60% and reduces product development time and speed to market by up to 50%. The planned use of the technology in this project supports the Fisker Ocean’s ambitions to be the world’s most sustainable vehicle and will help to accelerate the project’s development time.
Breaking down barriers to the electric future
In its search for the right tire, Fisker identified Bridgestone as a strong partner with a like-minded approach to sustainability that is investing across its entire value chain, from R&D and product development, to manufacturing and retail, to lessen its environmental impact. For example, Bridgestone recently announced that 100% of electricity consumed at its European locations, including its European R&D Centre in Italy where the Fisker Ocean’s tires were developed and its Poznan plant in Poland where they will be produced, comes from renewable sources; similarly, the Fisker Ocean will be manufactured in Graz, Austria at Magna Steyr’s CO2 neutral facility.
In Bridgestone, Fisker has a partner that is transforming its business to support the adoption of EVs. By pioneering premium tires, tire technologies and dedicated fleet and mobility solutions for EVs, and developing an EV-ready retail and service network, Bridgestone is investing to make electric mobility more efficient and accessible to all drivers. Fisker has similar ambitions with the Ocean set to enter the U.S. market at a starting recommended price of $37,499 (excluding EV-related subsidies) and below €32,000 in Germany (including taxes and EV-related subsidies).
Prototype testing of the Fisker Ocean will start during Q4 2021. The custom-engineered Bridgestone tires will be available in two tire sizes: 255/50 R20 & 255/45 R22. The 22" tire will be tuned to create a sportier handling balance, consistent with the elevated performance requirements of the higher power versions of the Fisker Ocean.
“At Bridgestone, we see EVs as a huge opportunity to help achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and make mobility more environmentally sustainable,” said Laurent Dartoux, President and CEO, Bridgestone EMIA. “But there are still many barriers to overcome before a fully electric future can be realized, and Fisker – like Bridgestone – is working to break those barriers down. Not only making EVs more accessible, Fisker is built from the ground up with a strong sustainability agenda that we wholeheartedly support. It’s brilliant to unite our shared ambitions and work together to achieve them.”
"We are thrilled to work with Bridgestone, a global leader in tires and sustainable mobility, who shares our values and designed premium tires that are the perfect match for the Fisker Ocean," said Henrik Fisker, Chairman and CEO of Fisker. "We have the ambition to make the most sustainable SUV featuring class-leading ride, handling, and range, and Bridgestone will play a key role in achieving this goal. We look forward to continuing to work closely together, collaborating on performance engineering and the technical development of the tires.”
*1 Based on Bridgestone internal data comparing Bridgestone premium summer tires with and without ENLITEN Technology in the same tire size (92Y 225/40R18 XL). Fisker will only take the R20 and R22 tire sizes.
About Bridgestone in Europe, Russia, Middle East, India, and Africa:
Bridgestone in Europe, Russia, Middle East, India, and Africa (Bridgestone EMIA) is the regional Strategic Business Unit of Bridgestone Corporation, a global leader in tires and rubber building on its expertise to provide solutions for safe and sustainable mobility. Headquartered in Zaventem (Belgium), Bridgestone EMIA employs more than 20,000 people and conducts business in 40 countries across the region. Bridgestone offers a diverse product portfolio of premium tires and advanced solutions, backed by innovative technologies, improving the way people around the world move, live, work and play.
For more information about Bridgestone in EMIA, please visit www.bridgestone-emia.com and www.bridgestonenewsroom.eu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
About Bridgestone Americas, Inc.:
Nashville, Tennessee-based Bridgestone Americas, Inc. is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, a global leader providing sustainable mobility and advanced solutions. Bridgestone Americas develops, manufactures, and markets a diverse portfolio of original equipment and replacement tires, tire-centric solutions, mobility solutions, and other rubber-associated and diversified products that deliver social value and customer value. Guided by its global corporate social responsibility commitment, Our Way to Serve, Bridgestone is dedicated to shaping a sustainable future of mobility and improving the way people move, live, work and play.
About Fisker Inc.
California-based Fisker Inc. is revolutionizing the automotive industry by developing the most emotionally desirable and eco-friendly electric vehicles on Earth. Passionately driven by a vision of a clean future for all, the company is on a mission to become the No. 1 e-mobility service provider with the world's most sustainable vehicles. To learn more, visit www.FiskerInc.com – and enjoy exclusive content across Fisker's social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
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Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are subject to the "safe harbor" provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as "feel," "believes," expects," "estimates," "projects," "intends," "should," "is to be," or the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology and include, among other things, the quotations of our Chief Executive Officer and statements regarding the planned start of production and MSRP of the Ocean, the Company's future performance and other future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein due to many factors, including, but not limited to: Fisker's limited operating history; Fisker's ability to enter into additional manufacturing and other contracts with Magna, or other OEMs or tier-one suppliers in order to execute on its business plan; the risk that OEM and supply partners do not meet agreed upon timelines or experience capacity constraints; Fisker may experience significant delays in the design, manufacture, regulatory approval, launch and financing of its vehicles; Fisker's ability to execute its business model, including market acceptance of its planned products and services; Fisker's inability to retain key personnel and to hire additional personnel; competition in the electric vehicle market; Fisker's inability to develop a sales distribution network; and the ability to protect its intellectual property rights; and those factors discussed in Fisker's Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended, under the heading "Risk Factors," filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), as supplemented by Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other reports and documents Fisker files from time to time with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Fisker undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.
