Conti ‘GreenConcept’ tire to reduce weight up to 40%

Munich, Germany – Continental AG is presenting a series of ‘sustainable and innovative solutions’, including its ‘GreenConcept’ tire, at the IAA Mobility show currently underway in Munich.

Claimed to ‘set new standards’ in sustainability, the Conti GreenConcept is made up of more than 50% “traceable, renewable and recycled materials” and features new lightweighting and tread technologies.
 
The tire is made of 35% renewable raw materials including dandelion natural rubber, silicate from the ashes of rice husks, and various vegetable oils and resins, Conti said in a 6 Sept statement.

In addition, it contains 17% recycled materials, such as processed steel and carbon black, as well as polyester from recycled PET bottles which is used in the casing of a tire "for the first time." 

Conti is also employing its Cokoon technology for eco-friendly bonding of textile reinforcement with rubber in the concept tire.

Weighing just 7.5kg, the concept tire also employs “innovative lightweight technology” which makes it up to 40% lighter than conventional tires, according to the tire maker.

The weight reduction, said Conti, was made possible by an optimised tread pattern, a special sidewall and a new casing design with a weight-optimised core. 

“All in all, the design choices made, lead to significantly lower resource consumption and more sustainable driving,” it said.

The concept tire is particularly destined for use in next-gen smart vehicles, equipped with sensors that can monitor the temperature, pressure and tread depth of the tire. 

According to Conti, the tire’s “specially designed tread” and optimised materials also help reduce the rolling resistance of the product.

In-house measurements show that the tire’s rolling resistance is to about 25% lower than class “A” tire under the EU Tyre Label system, said the statement. 

Furthermore, the tire concept can be retreaded multiple times, according to Conti.

The green-coloured tread baseline marks the transition from tread to casing and undamaged casings can be reused several times. 

“If a tread is renewed three times, for example, this halves the amount of material used for a casing,” explained David O’Donnell, responsible for Continental’s global tire original equipment business.

In addition to the GreenConcept tire, Continental is exhibiting the ID. LIFE by Volkswagen, which features Conti’s ‘eco-friendly’ EcoContact 6 concept tires.

The tires, which are making their way into series production “in the near future”, contain 37% renewable and recycled materials, Conti said.