Bridgestone has stated its strongest-ever case for the fuel saving and CO2 reducing capabilities of its Duravis and Ecopia tyres, after completing a four-month academic study with Coventry University in response to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

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 a painstaking project to arrive at a definitive conclusion, with his final report 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% weightage given for regional and 10% 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 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).

The study is Bridgestone’s most comprehensive piece of product research ever commissioned since the tyres were brought onto the market in 2018. 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. 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.