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 company said. The results are lower CO2 emissions from passenger cars with combustion engines and longer driving ranges for electric vehicles, 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 62 miles for electric vehicles.
Urban traffic is characterized by constant stop and go, causing torsional deformation of the tires in response to the applied torque, causing energy to dissipate in the process, Continental said. The Conti CityPlus technology is designed to improve total energy efficiency under these kinds of driving conditions, especially beneficial for electric vehicles because their higher torque and weight additionally amplify energy loss in tires.
The Conti CityPlus is based on Continental’s EcoContact 6 series tire and 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, including a specially designed tread pattern, newly constructed carcass and modified rubber compound.
