In a new development, the engineers at Continental Tire have managed to reduce the rolling resistance of the EcoContact 6 summer tires made for Ford. The resistance properties are now below those recommended for Class A tires by EU Tire Label. They beat the requirement by more than 15%.
This achievement provides great benefits for the environment thanks to reduced energy consumption. It was made possible by implementing innovative technologies, reducing the materials used, and optimizing rubber compound designs to reduce abrasion and heat build-up.
According to Dr. Holger Lange, Head of Passenger Tire Development for Continental’s original equipment business, the team managed to achieve this without compromising comfort or safety. The tires are now helping Ford to cut down on energy consumption in its vehicles. Overall, this is helping OE customers hit their WLTP fleet targets.
WLTP is the standard test procedure for passenger car tires worldwide. It stands for Worldwide Harmonized Light-Duty Vehicles Test Procedure.
Continental’s efficiency efforts date as far back as 2012. The Conti.eContact was released then to meet the needs of electrical mobility. Currently, almost all tires under the portfolio meet e-mobility requirements while reducing emissions for ICE vehicles.
This has allowed Continental tires to gain more market share with EVs. 6 out of the 10 top electric vehicle producers placed more trust in Continental’s technologies and chose the company’s tires as original equipment in 2020. These include Volkswagen for the ID.3 and Tesla for its Model S and Model 3.