The Tire For Electric Buses Now With Higher Load Index

• Higher load index takes account of greater weight of electric buses
• Conti Urban HA3 can carry up to eight metric tons per axle
• Good ride quality and high mileage on year-round service

Hanover, November 4, 2020. With its robust construction and reliable performance, the Conti Urban HA3 from Continental is the ideal solution for year-round service on urban buses – and electric buses in particular. To bring the tire more fully into line with the requirements of modern electric buses, it now has a higher load index. The index has been increased from 154/148J to 156/150J, giving the Conti Urban 315/60 R22.5 in single-tire configuration a maximum load-carrying capacity of eight metric tons per axle.

With its higher load index, the Conti Urban HA3 is now more capable than ever of handling the requirements imposed by the various charging technologies and heavy batteries. In addition, regardless of the length of the charging intervals and the route topography, this tire delivers reliable performance and a very comfortable ride for the passengers. Rapid acceleration is a characteristic feature of electric drive systems which generate instant torque. Maximum available torque is applied to the drive axle from the first touch of the gas pedal.

The Conti Urban scores through its ability to reliably transmit this higher torque to the road. Along with acceleration, braking is another key factor in electric buses operating in urban traffic. Here, the electric motor acts as a generator and, driven by the deceleration of the bus, produces electric energy to charge the battery. Compared to conventional brake management systems, this process of energy recovery or ‘recuperation’, puts added strain on the drive axle tires. The Conti Urban masters these challenges with effortless ease. In sum, the Conti Urban HA3 bus tire benefits from Continental’s extensive experience in collaboration with commercial vehicle manufacturers and municipal bus operators.

Robust performance over a long service life

The Conti Urban HA3 has a high-strength casing and a particularly robust tread strip with a high proportion of natural rubber. This makes for reduced wear and renders the tire more resistant to chips and cuts, cracks and bulges. Reinforced sidewalls give the tire the necessary resilience to withstand frequent curb contacts. As a result, these tires can remain in operation over a long service life, making full use of their potential mileage. And with its good retreadability, the Conti Urban HA3 will even last more than one lifetime. There are two different retreaded versions of the Conti Urban HA3: the hot-retreaded ContiRe Urban HA3 and the cold-retreaded ContiTread Urban HA3.

Optimum safety and good ride quality

With its wide contact patch and special contour, this tire ensures outstanding cornering stability and optimum handling for maximum safety. Densely set interlocking sipes deliver the best possible grip and exceptional lane-keeping, even on wet roads and over the full lifetime of the tire. The sipes in the Conti Urban HA3 are staggered, making for lower tire/road noise with the resultant increase in passenger comfort. The Conti Urban HA3 bears the three-peak-mountain-snowflake symbol (3 PMSF), which means it is ideally suited to year-round use in many parts of Europe.