According to the EU Emissions Regulation, CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles must be reduced by 45% from 2019 levels in a first step starting in 2030. Vehicle manufacturers and fleet operators are therefore focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“We have developed both tyre lines to increase fuel and energy efficiency in regional and long-distance transport, reduce CO2 emissions, and equip fleets for electrification,” said Hinnerk Kaiser, head of product development EMEA at Continental.
Reduced rolling resistance combined with high mileage has a positive impact on the ecological footprint. For regional transport with demanding stop-and-go traffic, Continental´s tyre engineers have developed the Conti Hybrid tyre that delivers high mileage.
“This means that choosing the right tyres when configuring new trucks is becoming even more important, especially in view of an emissions-based toll component within the EU,” said Kaiser.
Fuel accounts for the largest share of CO2 emissions
The CO2 emissions of a fleet are directly related to energy consumption and the rolling resistance of the tyres. According to an analysis by the German Federal Environment Agency, a diesel semi-trailer truck with a gross vehicle weight of 40 tons has a greenhouse gas potential of around 1,000 grams of CO2 eq/km with an average load. By far the largest share (937 g CO2eq/km) is attributable to fuel combustion and supply.
This means that fuel accounts for 90% of the CO2 emissions of a fossil fuel-powered truck. Even with electric semi-trailers, 75% of CO2 emissions are still attributable to electricity supply. Energy-saving tyres, therefore, make an effective contribution to reducing a fleet's emissions and are an important factor in terms of sustainability, efficiency and green fleet management.
Rolling resistance and range
Alternative powertrains place high demands on the wear behaviour, noise characteristics, and rolling resistance of a tyre. The further development of these criteria is currently the focus of tyre engineers at Continental and will remain so in the future.
The driving range of electric trucks and buses is the most important factor for original equipment manufacturers and in the replacement business. “That's why tyres with low rolling resistance are the obvious choice, as this directly influences the vehicle's range,” explained Kaiser.
Transparency in TCO as a prerequisite for electrification
The central guiding principle for fleet operators is, and remains, the optimisation of TCO and CO2 reduction. For this reason, tyre developers are continuing to focus on optimising rolling resistance for the time being.
“It has the greatest influence on vehicle mileage, which is particularly relevant at present in view of the current charging infrastructure,” added Leo Kolodziej, head of original equipment business for truck tiyes EMEA at Continental.
Vehicle range and energy consumption are directly factored into the total cost of ownership (TCO). “Only a few fleets currently have the necessary transparency to comprehensively calculate the TCO advantages between diesel and electric commercial vehicles. Solutions are needed here. We can already offer these solutions for tyres.”
Predictive tyre development
Despite major advances in battery technology for lighter battery weights, electric commercial vehicles are currently still around a third heavier than combustion engine vehicles. The tyres must, therefore, be rated to carry these higher vehicle weights.
That is why the new Conti Eco HS 5 and Conti Efficient Pro HS 5 lines have a higher load index. This increases the load capacity of the tyres, meaning that fleet operators hardly have to compromise in terms of payload for their electric trucks.
“Up to a battery capacity of around 500 kilowatt hours, one of our battery-electric trucks no longer has any payload disadvantage in many applications,” said Markus Erdmann from Designwerk Technologies, a development partner of Continental for electric mobility.
Continental and its partners, such as Designwerk, want to contribute as much as possible to driving forward the transformation to electric mobility with innovative products and solutions.
“Our current product portfolio already optimally reflects the requirements of electric mobility,” said Kaiser. ”In close coordination with our customers in both the replacement and original equipment businesses, we will continue to develop customer-oriented tyre products and support the transformation in mobility with all our strength.”
