At the International Motor Show (IAA) Commercial Vehicles in Hanover, Germany, Continental AG presented its first test tire treads made from dandelion rubber. The natural rubber in the treads of the passenger car winter test tires was produced entirely from Taraxagum – Conti’s name for the dandelion rubber material.

“After several years of development work together with the Fraunhofer Institute, we are excited to take the first dandelion tires to the road. In order to make the best use of the crop yield produced to date, we decided to build passenger car winter tires, as they contain a high portion of natural rubber,” said Nikolai Setzer, member of the Continental executive board and responsible for the tire division.

Continental intends to industrialize dandelion rubber and introduce it in serial production within the next five to 10 years, the company said. The tires will undergo thorough testing at the Contidrom proving grounds near Hanover as well as in Arvidsjaur, Sweden.