Study shows fuel and CO2 savings for Bridgestone tyres
B
ridgestone has completed a four-month academic study with Coventry University, resulting in what the tyre manufacturer says is its strongest-ever case for the fuel saving and CO2 reducing capabilities of its Duravis and Ecopia ranges.
With increasing economic demands being placed on its commercial fleet partners, Bridgestone contacted the Warwickshire university with an invitation to investigate the benefits associated with its premium products.
Business analytics masters graduate Sreyas Sunil Kunnappally accepted the challenge and embarked on the study, which found that up to 40,000 metric tonnes of CO2 could be saved across the UK’s haulage sector per year if every long haul HGV ran on Ecopia H002 tyres.
This could equate to between £2,200 and £3,200 in fuel per HGV (between 1,100 litres and 1,600 litres), according to estimates.
The data was categorised into regional (Duravis tyre range) and long haul (Ecopia tyre range). Only HGVs above eight tonnes were considered for the market split, with 90 per cent weightage given for regional and 10 per cent for long haul.
The results were calculated on the premise that all vehicles would be running on ‘D class’ tyres and would be swapping to the ‘A class’ Ecopia range on all axles, referencing a number of sources including official Department for Transport statistics.
The same equation was applied to all regional HGVs running on Bridgestone’s ‘B class’ Duravis range, where it was found that up to 3 million metric tonnes of CO2 could be saved per year, with an estimated fuel saving per-regional truck of between £1,300 and £1,900 (between 650 litres and 950 litres).
Bridgestone says the study is its most comprehensive piece of product research ever commissioned since the tyres were brought onto the market in 2018.
Sreyas, who has recently graduated with a distinction, said: “I love working with data and the definitive conclusions that data provides. What I found was that there’s a great deal of technology that goes into manufacturing Bridgestone’s premium Duravis and Ecopia ranges.
“The CO2 results, in particular, were a surprise to me. I didn’t expect to see such a huge difference here, possibly because it’s so easy to think that all tyres perform equally because they all look so similar to the naked eye. This clearly isn’t the case.
“We all think of a vehicle’s efficiency being associated with its engine, but around 35 per cent of fuel efficiency is associated with the tyres it is operating on. This is one of the most crucial findings of all, particularly in the challenging economic climate we’re all faced with right now.
“It was a pleasure to work on this project and if there is one lesson to be taken from its findings, then it’s that Bridgestone’s tyres really do provide huge benefits – both environmentally and economically.”
Bridgestone’s north region vice president Andrea Manenti added: “We have never commissioned a study as comprehensive as this, with some of leading academic minds in the UK. We know all about the environmental – and financial – benefits of our Ecopia and Duravis ranges, but we wanted to present the savings in the most credible way possible.
“By teaming up with Coventry University, we were able to do this and we can’t praise everyone there enough for allowing their talent to capture so much data and present it in such a compelling manner.
“With so much strain on our fleet customers’ pockets and the issue of sustainable more important than ever, we wanted to state our case for our Ecopia and Duravis ranges in the most conclusive way possible. We know that our products are good for commercial fleets both financially and environmentally, and this study goes a long way in underlining this fact.”
Bridgestone says its Ecopia H002 achieves best in class fuel efficiency through an EU label A-A-A grade combination in steer, drive and trailer. It also boasts outstanding wet-weather performance and offer year-round convenience through full compliance with European winter legislations.
Meanwhile, the Duravis R002 provides optimised fuel efficiency, with a B-C-B combination in steer, drive and trailer and is a multipurpose tyre for all types of on-road fleet vehicles operating in a wide range of applications.
More information about both products, and fuel savings and CO2 reductions through Bridgestone’s tyres, can be accessed at the URL below.
