Firestone stores are vying for EV and hybrid customers, adding chargingFirestone stores are vying for EV and hybrid customers, adding charging

Firestone is rolling out expanded services for EV and hybrid drivers at certain service centers, as well as EV charging, parent Bridgestone announced Tuesday in a press release.
A total of 44 service centers in Austin and San Francisco will now offer “inspections, diagnostics, maintenance and repairs” of high-voltage components for both hybrids and EVs, as well as “health checks and troubleshooting” for electric motors and battery packs, the company said.
Bridgestone is also partnering with Blink Charging to add 50 Level 2 charging stations at 25 Firestone stores in the first quarter in 2022. The chargers will be installed at locations in Austin, Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, the company said.
In addition to servicing EVs, Bridgestone is aiming to provide better tires for them. The company agrees with the consensus that EVs need different tires than internal-combustion vehicles, and is developing tires for the Lightyear One solar-assisted EV. The company expects demand for EVs to increase significantly the end of the decade, owing to a proliferation of new models.
In 2019, Bridgestone also announced plans to use recovered carbon black to make new tires greener. While EVs eliminate tailpipe emissions, the environmental impact from manufacturing new vehicles and their components still has to be considered.
Blink Charging, meanwhile, recently announced that it will supply Level 2 charging stations to General Motors dealerships. These 19.2-kw chargers will coincide with the rollout of the 2022 GMC Hummer EV pickup truck and 2023 Cadillac Lyriq SUV. Both models will be able to take full advantage of the Blink stations’ full capacity.

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