At IAA Mobility in Munich, Germany, Continental unveiled its new tire concept Conti CityPlus. This tire technology increases the total energy efficiency of a tire by up to 10%. The results are lower CO2 emissions from passenger cars with combustion engines and longer driving ranges for electric vehicles.
This was achieved by optimizing the tire behavior during stop-and-go traffic in urban driving situations, increasing the range of passenger cars by up to 3% as a result. This correspondents to savings of 0.6 kWh per 100 kilometers for electric vehicles.
The Conti CityPlus is based on Continental’s EcoContact 6 series tire. It has been specially engineered to offer high mileage and low rolling resistance. To achieve higher overall energy efficiency, the concept tire includes a range of modifications designed to reduce tire deformation during braking and acceleration. These include a specially designed tread pattern, newly constructed carcass, and modified rubber compound.
The tread strip features a special V-shape pattern, which creates a stiffer pattern structure. In addition, a new construction method results in a stiffer carcass which reduces tire deformation. The special system of fillers and an optimized polymer network in the rubber compound also contribute to the tire’s high overall energy efficiency.
When developing energy-efficient tires, tire engineers and material experts have up until now focused on optimizing a tire’s rolling resistance during free rolling at a constant speed. This approach has enabled Continental to minimize the rolling resistance of the passenger car tires in its portfolio in total by an average of 25% over the past decade.
At the IAA Mobility, Continental will also be presenting the most sustainable series tire ever seen in the industry: Continental’s UltraContact NXT. With up to 65% renewable, recycled and ISCC PLUS mass-balance-certified materials, it has the highest share of sustainable materials yet seen in a production tire.
The proportion of renewable materials is as high as up to 32%. This includes, for example, resins based on residual materials from the paper and wood industries as well as silicate from the ash of rice husks.
Recycled materials such as polyester fibers made from recycled PET bottles by ContiRe.Tex technology account for up to 5 percent. In addition, Continental obtains up to 28% ISCC PLUS mass-balance-certified materials from biobased, bio-circular and/or circular feedstock.
All of its 19 sizes were awarded the highest EU tire label ratings for wet grip, pass-by noise and rolling resistance.
All dimensions of the UltraContact NXT have the top marks in the EU tire label (“A”) in the areas of rolling resistance, wet braking, and external noise. The tire was designed for both electric and combustion engines, offering the highest label efficiency and optimum mileage performance. Continental’s most sustainable series tire to date therefore bears the EV Compatible logo and will be available for various popular vehicles such as the Kia Niro, VW ID.3, Mercedes-Benz EQA, Tesla Model 3, Audi Q4 E-TRON, Skoda Octavia, VW Golf 8, Audi A3 and more.
By 2030, the premium tire manufacturer aims to have more than 40%$ renewable and recycled content in its tires. Continental is continuing its drive toward 100% sustainable materials in all its tire products by 2050 at the latest.
