Tyre innovation reducing costs

By Colin Windell 

Reducing the cost of operation is the aim of every fleet manager or haulier and Bridgestone is coming to that party with the launch of its new Ecopia tyres for long-haul trucks.

New tyre technology geared to reducing operating costs for truckers

Bridgestone has launched its latest generation of Ecopia tyres at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover, Germany – these featuring a newly developed compound technology.

The new Ecopia H002 tyres enable long haul fleets to reduce their total cost of ownership through best-in-class fuel efficiency – with no compromise on mileage. They also achieve outstanding wet-weather performance and offer year-round convenience through full compliance with European winter legislations.
 
At 30% of all expenses, fuel is by far the biggest operating cost for long haul fleets. In addition, not just that, the industry today is faced with increasingly challenging EU CO2 emission regulations and the recurrent concerns for road safety especially in bad weather conditions. The latest generation of Ecopia tyres have been designed to answer these everyday challenges.
 
Paolo Ferrari, CEO and President Bridgestone EMEA, says: “At Bridgestone, through our strong customer-centric approach, our large and growing service network and insights delivered by our ‘Total Tyre Care’ tyre management systems, we understand the needs of fleets better than anyone else.

“In an industry and world in rapid transformation, fleets are increasingly looking for efficiency, sustainability, safety and convenience. Co-created and tested over 14-million kilometres with key fleet customers across Europe, the new Ecopia H002 tyres will enable our customers to achieve all four by reducing operational costs, C02 emissions and providing consistent performance all year round.”

By using new Ecopia tyres on steer, drive, trailer axles, an average long haul fleet would be able to make reduce its CO2 emissions by 546 tonnes a year.
 
New interfaces

Bridgestone also premiered a new vehicle maintenance solution for fleet customers at IAA. Using digital technologies, this offering will provide fleets with databased insights that ensure vehicle uptime and limit the common challenges of day-to-day operations.
 
As of 2019, truck and bus tyres will start to be supplied with electronic tagging system RFID (radio-frequency identification). The addition of RFID will bring further value to fleet customers by enhancing the traceability of their tyre casings and providing a time-efficient and accurate system for data sharing and entry. Customers will be able freely to access their report findings, which will ultimately help to educate the business and optimise their total cost of ownership.
 
RFID will be used across all Bridgestone’s interfaces and will bring significant value to its tyre management systems for fleets of commercial vehicles, today better known as ‘Total Tyre Care’.