Continental Develops First Tire that has been Optimized for Electric Buses

Electric vehicles are all the rage now. Just as in the case of electric cars, electric buses too will have less impact on the environment. It is therefore vital that electric buses should be able to go further on a single charge and cover a long distance on a single set of tires.

This is what prompted leading tire manufacturer, Continental to work on the development of dedicated tires for electric buses. These tires have been optimized for use on electric vehicles.

Generally, electric vehicles are heavier as the batteries that are needed can be quite heavy. Hence, the tires used on such vehicles need to have the ability to tolerate high instant torque. In order to increase the distance or range covered on a single charge, the tires should also have a low rolling resistance.

Continental recently launched its Conti Urban HA3 315/60 R22.5 tire which is the first tire that has been optimized for electric buses in city traffic. Tires that are used in electric buses should have the capacity to support a usually high overall vehicle weight due to the heavy electric battery and should be able to tolerate instant torque delivery. Hence, such tires should offer a combination of grip, robustness, and a load carrying capacity that is higher than average.

The new Conti Urban HA3 315/60 R22.5 154/148J (156/150F) tire meets all these needs and is positioned as an all-axle tire for the safe electric passenger service. It offers superb grip and has a load carrying capacity of eight tons per axle, which is 0.5 ton more than the standard for this tire size.

The Conti Urban HA3 has this higher load index due to the use of an extremely robust casing that features high wire density and thickness. It also has a sturdy and durable tread having a high percentage of natural rubber. This increases the tire’s resistance to cuts, cracks, chipping, chunking, and abrasion, and the outcomes are a long service life and utilization of the tire’s full mileage potential.

The tire’s special urban bus tire contour layout further enhances its endurance and even wear, and its wide tread width contributes to outstanding cornering stability and handling for offering drivers the highest levels of safety in urban traffic. Even in extremely wet conditions, the high-density interlocking sipes provide optimum grip and lane holding throughout the tire’s service life. The sipes have also been staggered to minimize reduce noise to elevate ride comfort. The reinforced sidewalls ensure that the Conti Urban HA3 can withstand frequent curbstone contact. Thanks to its good retreadability, the Conti Urban HA3 allows for multiple service lives. Three Peak Mountain Snowflake tested, the Conti Urban HA3 is suitable for use throughout the year in many European regions.

​​​​​​​Lutz Stäbner, Head of Product Management for Continental truck and bus tires in Europe, Middle East, and Africa said, “The new Conti Urban HA3 optimized for electric buses brings to fruition the valuable experience we’ve gathered from our recent collaboration with commercial vehicle manufacturers and municipal bus companies. Thanks to its balanced performance profile, it provides a safe, comfortable, and cost-effective solution for enabling e-mobility in challenging stop-and-go traffic.