Bridgestone Ecopia Enliten extends efficiency-boosting technology to long-haul truck tyre range

Manufacturer brings its suite of tyre technologies, previously used for new products in the light vehicle segments, to heavy commercial vehicle fleets

Bridgestone is bringing its sustainability and efficiency focused tyre technology to its range of commercial tyres for long-haul transportation with the new Bridgestone Ecopia Enliten. The latest generation Ecopia has been created for fleets seeking to maximise fuel efficiency and boost total value of ownership, Bridgestone states, saying the new tyres boast enhanced wear and reduced rolling resistance in year-round long-haul commercial fleet applications. The new Bridgestone Ecopia Steer Enliten and Ecopia Drive Enliten tyres are available from January 2024 in size 315/70 R22.5, with four additional sizes added throughout 2024 and one further size in 2025. Bridgestone will add the Ecopia Trailer Enliten from late 2024 to complete the range.

More than half of all transport in Europe on roads, with nearly 40 percent of that being cross-border travel. Demand for long-haul transportation is high, but the industry is also adapting to economic pressures for cost efficiency, stricter emissions regulations, and the integration of new and innovative connected solutions.

With fleet operations searching for the optimal tyre for their changing needs, Bridgestone has launched Ecopia Enliten, a new long-haul tyre range that delivers best-in-class fuel efficiency.

The launch of this new range marks the first use of Enliten in a Bridgestone truck tyre. Enliten combines several cutting-edge tyre technologies to improve sustainability characteristics and reduce ownership costs, while making the tyres ready for use on electric vehicles. The tyres also feature safety and performance improvements, Bridgestone adds.

The Ecopia’s Enliten technology package incorporates new technologies and innovations from Bridgestone. These include low energy pattern designs and high-performance compounds focused on fuel efficiency, and a new spiral belt construction in low profile Ecopia Steer Enliten tyres that increases cornering power and optimises pressure distribution to improve wear life.

As a result, the Bridgestone Ecopia Enliten range supports reductions in costs and CO2 emissions. The tyres have an EU label A-grade in rolling resistance. Based on internal and field testing conducted by Bridgestone Technical Center, comparing the new Ecopia Enliten steer and drive products with the previous generation in size 315/70 R22.5, the new tyres offer a 12 per cent rolling resistance reduction in the drive axle and an 8 per cent reduction in the steer axle compared to its previous generation. The Ecopia Enliten’s wear life is also vastly improved against the previous generation tyre. It boosts mileage by 40 per cent in the steer axle, and up to 6 per cent higher mileage in the drive axle.

With an EU label B-grade in wet grip and the 3PMSF marking Ecopia Enliten range is suitable for all-season long haulage. On top of its cost-cutting performance, the tyre is engineered with a robust casing for greater retreadability. Developed with the digital future of mobility in mind, the new Ecopia range is already equipped with RFID and is ready to be fitted with tyre-mounted sensors.

The tyres will also be available as part of Bridgestone Fleetcare – a customisable suite of solutions connecting product, data, technology and service for fleet operations – to help Bridgestone’s fleet customers further boost their total value of ownership.

“Driven by increases in the price of fuel, operational costs have risen for fleets. With best-in-class fuel efficiency and enhanced mileage, our new Ecopia Enliten range is engineered to help our fleet customers overcome this pressing challenge. And we’ve not only focused on reducing costs – the new Ecopia range has also been developed to support fleets on their sustainability journey. By using new Ecopia tyres, an average European long-haul fleet would be able to further reduce CO2 emissions by 192 tonnes per year2,” says Waqqas Ahmad, commercial sales director, Bridgestone EMIA. “We’re launching what we believe is the new best choice in the premium segment for long-haulage.”