Continental Tyres, premium partner of Extreme E, has developed a new high-performance tire for the all-electric racing series.
All vehicles taking part in the races will be fitted exclusively with the newly designed CrossContact Extreme E tires, which ensure reliable performance with a focus on sustainability. During development, Continental's engineers and material experts not only improved performance, but also placed particular emphasis on a high proportion of sustainable materials.
The Continental team has completely redeveloped the tread compound and carcass of the second-generation CrossContact Extreme E tires. Overall, around a third of the new tires are made from recycled and renewable raw materials, including silica, which is obtained from the ash of rice husks, a waste product from agriculture.
In addition to recycled steel and carbon black, Continental is also using polyester yarn made from recycled PET bottles in the tire carcass for the first time. Thanks to the use of plastic bottles, conventional polyester is completely replaced in the CrossContact Extreme E. These old PET bottles, which otherwise could not be reused, are used without any intermediate chemical steps with the help of ContiRe.Tex technology.
Each of the 30 tires that Continental supplies to all Extreme E teams now contains recycled polyester made from around 60 recycled PET bottles. Just as Extreme E aims to inspire a more sustainable automotive industry, Continental will integrate this new tire technology into the series production of various Continental premium tires over the course of the year.
Nels von Schnakenburg, Technical Manager for Extreme E at Continental:
"With the many new insights we gained in the first season, we were able to improve the next generation of the CrossContact Extreme E and have placed an even greater focus on the use of sustainable and recyclable materials."
Sandra Roslan, Project Manager Extreme E at Continental:
"With Extreme E, we are testing our latest technologies and developments under particularly extreme and unique conditions. The results will help us to introduce sustainable solutions for our series production. We are ready for an even more exciting Extreme E season and look forward to proving once again the outstanding performance of our tires in the toughest conditions. Not only have we improved performance, but we have also placed particular emphasis on a high proportion of sustainable materials - and that's what Extreme E is all about."
The new and improved tires will be used by the teams at all X-Prix. They have been optimized for maximum performance, while the size, diameter and width of the tire remain unchanged from last year. Using the latest technologies for increased sustainability and performance, the CrossContact Extreme E tires are designed to withstand all climates and terrains.
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, Continental test rider competing for Rosberg X Racing, added: "I am proud to be working with a company that is committed to sustainable technologies and look forward to pushing forward and further developing our tire, which is made from sustainable materials - without compromising on performance! I look forward to the future with Continental and there is still a lot to do."