Bridgestone's Project DAD includes greener motoring

As part of the activities, tyre maker Bridgestone took along its Ecopia trike, a three-wheeled cycle fitted with the company's Ecopia tyres which combine the road-holding benefits of a conventional tyre with reduced rolling resistance for better fuel consumption and lower emissions. Bridgestone staff were on hand to demonstrate how much further the Ecopia trike would go before rolling to a halt than a trike fitted with conventional tyres when both trikes were launched from an inclined starting ramp.

Less energy is consumed

Bridgestone PR manager Mandy Lovell said this was in order to demonstrate how the Ecopia tyres consumed less energy via rolling resistance. "This adds up to reduced fuel consumption, which then translates into other benefits such as lower CO² emissions."

The children were fascinated by the novelty of being able to ride a three-wheeler trike fitted with car tyres and watched attentively as the Bridgestone staff explained the difference between the two types of tyres. The children were able to free-wheel both trikes to a stop to see the difference for themselves, and the trike fitted with Ecopias soon became the preferred steed for the more competitive individuals in the group.

"We're hopeful demonstrations like these will accelerate the consumer shift towards more environmentally-friendly tyres in future," Lovell said. "The potential cost and environmental savings to the country are enormous," she concluded.