Continental is focusing on a fleet’s total cost of ownership (TCO) when developing commercial vehicle tyres, without neglecting sustainability aspects.
Rising Costs
Logistics and transport companies, mainly in Europe, are under economic pressure and according to “The Future of Fleets” report, 76% of fleet managers surveyed see rising costs as the biggest challenge, alongside economic uncertainties caused by crises (46%) and CO2 emissions requirements (40%). Continental solutions aim to reduce TCO: tyres with optimised rolling resistance improve fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions. Retreaded tyres cost significantly less than new tyres and, in addition, Continental van, bus and truck tyres meet all the requirements for battery-powered electric vehicles.
Hinnerk Kaiser, Head of Product Development Bus and Truck Tyres EMEA at Continental, explains the significance of rolling resistance concerning TCO: “For fleets with diesel vehicles, our TCO calculation shows that a tyre with optimised rolling resistance and lower mileage can be the more efficient product. The new Conti Eco 5 performs well in both regional and long-distance transport. We are talking about an improvement of up to twelve percent in rolling resistance and up to ten percent in mileage compared to the previous model.” A fleet of 100 vehicles equipped with Conti Eco HS 5/ HD 5 tyres instead of the older EcoRegional HS 3+/ HD 3+ product, covering around 80,000 km annually in regional transport, can save up to €69,000 on diesel and 120 metric tons of CO2.
Retreaded Tyres: Sustainability and Cost-Efficiency
Kaiser pointed out retreading as an important requirement in the development of commercial vehicle tyres: “Our ContiLifeCycle concept has been successfully established on the market for years. Retreaded tyres are about 40% cheaper than new tyres– with the same safety and mileage. In addition, we use around 70% less material than for a new tyre. If we retread the sidewall and tread of a casing twice, we get three tyre lives. This amounts to a total saving of €500 to €600 compared to buying three new tyres,” says Kaiser.
Rolling Resistance
Rolling resistance is a main focus of both vehicle manufacturers and tyre replacement market. Leo Kolodziej, Head of OE Truck Tyres at Continental, explains: “Particularly for suppliers of electric vehicles, rolling resistance is the determining factor when selecting tyres. It impacts energy consumption and in turn influences the TCO.” Low rolling resistance is even more important for battery-powered vehicles than for combustion-powered vehicles: “The charging infrastructure in Europe is not yet fully developed and varies greatly from region to region. So, the range of the tractor units is really important – and this increases with optimised rolling resistance of the tyres.”
Rolling resistance also influences CO2 emissions. Because battery-powered vehicles are heavier, tyres also have to be robust – without compromising on other performance criteria. This includes tyre-road and driving noise, as well as the additional stress on the electric vehicle tyres due to energy recovery. “We are seeing growing interest in expert dialog among vehicle manufacturers and are doing a lot of joint testing,” says Kolodziej.
Electrification Trends
The Continental expert is convinced that electrification will remain a megatrend for commercial vehicles as well – despite the current economic and political uncertainties: “We are actually seeing a sense of optimism among vehicle manufacturers when it comes to electrification. At the IAA Transportation last September, all major commercial vehicle manufacturers presented market-ready electric models for a range of applications.”
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) expects battery electric trucks to be the most cost-effective option by 2030, according to the “Vision 2050, Update on the global zero-emission vehicle transition in 2024” report. For heavy-duty long-haul trucks, the ICCT expects the total cost of ownership to be the same by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.
Continental’s fleet report confirms these forecasts: 65% of fleet managers have already invested in alternative drive technologies or are currently planning to do so and 61% want to increase efficiency by saving fuel or energy in the next five years.
