Leading tyre manufacturer Bridgestone Americas has announced a minority investment in May Mobility, a leader in autonomous vehicles (AV) technology, to integrate its digital and predictive tyre-centric technologies into May Mobility AVs, granting deeper AVs intelligence for even safer and more efficient operation.
The tyre maker will also gain valuable insights into autonomous vehicle operations to improve its core tire products and mobility solutions through the partnership.
The new relationship between Bridgestone and Ann Arbor, Michigan-based May Mobility expands the AV technology company's ability to operate and service its vehicles in new markets through the tyre maker's nationwide network of more than 2,200 tyre and automotive service centres doing business under the Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus, Hibdon Tires Plus and Wheel Works retail brands.
In addition, May Mobility will also be able to leverage the company's mobile service provider, Firestone Direct, to support their expansion. This will further enhance May Mobility's ability to scale AV operations for its growing fleet of Toyota passenger vehicles, including the Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS.
May Mobility plans to continue expanding operations in the US and Japan, building sustainable, accessible, affordable AV transit solutions.
Brian Goldstine, President of Mobility Solutions and Fleet Management, Bridgestone Americas, said, 'Our future plans to integrate the Bridgestone suite of predictive maintenance insights will help ensure that May Mobility vehicles operate even more safely, efficiently and sustainably.'
May Mobility vehicles will also utilise insights derived from in-wheel sensors and proprietary Bridgestone predictive algorithms to monitor tyres' health, including tyre pressure, temperature and tread wear, which will allow for proactive and predictive maintenance that helps improve fleet safety, efficiency and sustainability.
Azuga, a cloud-based fleet mobility solution acquired by Bridgestone in 2021, will also be leveraged by May Mobility to improve business performance through its fleet management, camera intelligence and route planning features.
Edwin Olson, CEO, May Mobility, said, 'This collaboration builds upon our shared mission of providing safe and sustainable mobility solutions on a global scale.'