Feb 2012: Continental Signs First OE for the Conti.e.Contact Tyres

Continental Tyres announced that they have signed the first OE deal for the Conti.e.Contact range of tyres. French car manufacturer Renault has decided to go with the Conti-e tyres for their electric vehicle Twizy. In an agreement signed between the two companies, Renault has appointed Continental as the sole tyre supplier for the two-seater Twizy.

The Conti.e.Contact range has been developed by Continental specifically to cater to the needs of electric and hybrid vehicles. Such vehicles are all set to dominate the future of the automotive market and it is estimated that by 2020, there will be 2.8 million registered electric vehicles on roads worldwide.

Reduced Rolling Resistance for the Conti.e.Contact

Company officials revealed that the Conti.e.Contact range reduces the rolling resistance by 30% as compared to regular tyres.

This feat has been made possible by the use of an unusual tyre dimension, characterized by a larger diameter. The tyre is available in the size 195/55 R20. When the tyre enters the contact patch, the large tyre diameter ensures that its deformation is minimal. So the rolling resistance is lowered considerably. Because of the reduction in rolling resistance the tyre is capable of carrying the same load as the conventional tyre.

Another component that contributes to reducing the rolling resistance is the unique sidewall design. The sidewall has been designed in such a manner as to reduce loss of energy when the tyre rebounds or deflects. The energy conserved here is used to overcome the rolling resistance, thereby reducing its impact.

The Conti.e-contact weighs much lesser than the conventional tyre, which also has a positive impact on rolling resistance.

The Conti.e.Contact tyres have no traverse grooves. Only longitudinal grooves are present on the tyre tread. The longitudinal grooves with the high number sipes impart rigidity to the rib tread. The tread has been optimised for lower rolling resistance and reduced noise levels.

Finally the flat tyre contour disallows free movement of the tyre belt element, further pushing down the rolling resistance.

Impact of the Reduced Rolling Resistance

Continental officials explained that because of the focus on reducing the rolling resistance it has become possible for the Conti.e.Contact to achieve precise handling properties. Besides, even the wet braking distances have been significantly improved.

Thus the Conti.e.Contact range is extremely safe. Obviously Renault is quite impressed with the range, which has led them to sign the deal with Continental

About the Conti.e.Contact Range

The Conti.e.Contact range offers tyres specifically for electric and hybrid vehicles. There is increasing concern worldwide about global warming and one of the major contributors to global warming is the carbon dioxide emissions from cars that burn petrol and diesel.

So in recent times, responsible automakers are slowly but surely exploring other options of powering their vehicles. Hybrid models are quite popular as are models that will be solely powered by electric motors.

Such vehicles cannot use regular tyres and will require tyres specifically developed for them. The Conti.e.Contact range is a development in this direction.

The Conti.e.Contact tyres will be produced at Continental’s passenger tyre factory in Korbach, Germany

This article is written by Azzam Sheikh who has industry experience writing news, content and press releases. If you would like to make contact with Azzam then you can do so by Email, also see Azzam's Google+ profile.