Coventry University study shows economic, sustainability benefits of Bridgestone CV tyre range

Study suggests up to £3,200 per year could be saved by fitting fuel efficient tyres

A four-month academic study at Coventry University, supported by Bridgestone, has demonstrated the scale of the business case for fitting tyres that assist a commercial vehicle’s efficiency. 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 Duravis and Ecopia tyre ranges. Business Analytics masters graduate Sreyas Sunil Kunnappally embarked on a painstaking project, arriving at this conclusion. His final report is now being revealed for the first time.

The 24-year-old discovered 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 equates to between £2,200 and £3,200 in fuel per HGV (between 1,100 litres and 1,600 litres).

The data was categorised into regional (Duravis tyre range) and long haul (Ecopia tyre range). Only HGVs above 8 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 several 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 up to 3 million metric tonnes of CO2 would be saved per year, with a fuel saving per-regional truck of between £1,300 and £1,900 (between 650 litres and 950 litres). Bridgestone says the study is the most comprehensive piece of product research it has 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 C02 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% 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 research coincides with its long-term pledge to the environment and sustainability, as seen through its Bridgestone E8 Commitment – the broad, global corporate commitment that clearly defines the value Bridgestone is promising to deliver to society, customers, and future generations in eight focus areas.

This body of research aligns perfectly with the “Ecology” and “Energy” values in the E8 philosophy.

Bridgestone’s North Region vice president Andrea Manenti said: “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.”

The Bridgestone 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.