Continental’s new truck tyre line, The Conti EcoRegional family, is said to enable fleet operators to significantly increase the efficiency of their vehicles in regional transport. The Conti EcoRegional HS3 and HD3 are built to reduce CO2 emissions thanks to a new manufacturing process in combination of an innovative tread design for the steering axle and a rubber compound that is optimized for rolling resistance for the drive axle. Continental claims that during this process, no sacrifices have been made in terms of the other significant tire properties such as mileage, robustness and traction.

Stretching the limits of tyre technology
The Conti EcoRegional HS3, which was produced using the new ‘Conti Diamond’ technique production process, features an optimised tread surface pattern in the ground contact area with a modified tread groove geometry, reduced sipe width, and W-tread groove technology for particularly even abrasion. A highly stable configuration of the circumferential longitudinal tread grooves enables greater mileage while also reducing fuel consumption. The use of sipes in the newly designed tread ribs provides additional grip edges that are important for the traction characteristics. The Conti EcoRegional HD3 runs with the tried-and-tested tread concept of the Conti Hybrid Gen 3 line, but uses a new, innovative tread compound in the form of Conti InterLock Technology. It enables a level of low rolling resistance with the same mileage, especially in regional and highway applications.

The design of the tread with ‘cap’ (responsible for adhesion, abrasion resistance, and directional stability) and ‘base’ (rolling resistance and damping) allows the individual zones to be optimized for specific tasks, thereby helping to resolve the trade-off. In both products, Conti EcoRegional HS3 and HD3, base compounds optimised for rolling resistance are used. In addition, rubber compounds optimised for rolling resistance are used in the casing.

Meeting the toughest CO2 regulations
The vehicle energy consumption calculation tool (VECTO), which was introduced by the European Commission, is intended to ensure that the ambitious European targets for CO2 reduction are met. In order to meet the objectives of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, the European Commission adopted the first carbon dioxide emissions regulation for newly registered heavy commercial vehicles (EU Regulation 2019/1242) in 2019. This calls for a reduction in the average CO2 emissions for new heavy commercial vehicles by 15 percent by 2025 or 30 percent by 2030, compared in each case to the reference year July 2019 to June 2020. This regulation currently applies to 4x2 and 6x2 trucks with a permissible gross vehicle weight of more than 16 metric tons, with a future expansion currently being discussed by the European Commission.

Continental has also launched a microsite containing useful information about the latest CO2 emissions regulation for heavy goods vehicles and the simulation tool for trucks called VECTO. Continental aims to provide fleet managers with comprehensive information about the new regulation and its implications for them, given that tires significantly influence fuel consumption and by that the CO₂ emissions generated by a vehicle.

The microsite contains-
-Videos explaining how the VECTO simulation tool works and what exactly is calculated for the HDVs (also available on YouTube) as well as a video about why industry and society need to act now.
-Information about business effects for fleet operators, focusing on fuel efficiency and greater transparency with regard to the purchase of a truck.
-Comprehensive infographic about the new regulation, with facts and figures on how the VECTO tool performs its calculations, which vehicles are affected, the potential of tires to reduce fuel consumption and fleet operating costs, plus other parameters to reduce CO₂ emissions.

Constantin Batsch, Head of Truck Tires Replacement at Continental’s business region Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) said, “From our talks with customers we see that there is a lot of interest from fleet managers all over Europe. We know that fuel consumption and thereby CO₂ emissions will not only become more important when buying a new truck, but also when replacing tires. So, we want to provide fleet operators with important information on how the new CO₂ regulation and the resulting changes for tires affect their business and how they can make best use of it. We see ourselves as service consultants, especially with regard to finding the right tire, tire management and how this helps reduce overall operating costs and CO₂ emissions.”

The European Parliament states that 25 percent of the European Union’s CO2 emissions from transport are generated by heavy-duty vehicles. If truck manufacturers fail to comply with the new regulations, they will incur penalty payments for each vehicle. Further regulations that could affect fleets directly are currently under discussion. Tires impact on up to 40 percent of fleet operating costs because they have a significant influence on fuel consumption (30 percent) as well as on repairs and maintenance (5 percent) and actual tire costs (5 percent).

Continental manufactures the Conti EcoRegional product line in the following dimensions, whereby dimensions 295/80 R 22.5, 315/70 R 22.5 and 385/65 R 22.5 are now offered with the highest-permissible load index as standard:

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Yokohama Rubber has established a new research and development centre in Hangzhou, China, as the Japanese tyre maker seeks to strengthen localised product development and speed up response times in the Chinese market.

The new facility, named Yokohama China Technical Center, began operations in May within the company’s new passenger car tyre plant in Hangzhou, which started production in November 2025.

The company said the centre would enable the local development of products specifically for the Chinese market, from initial research through to completion, helping to accelerate product launches and improve responsiveness to regional demand.

The centre will consolidate R&D functions for Yokohama Rubber’s tyre and multiple business divisions in China, while expanding engineering staff and testing facilities. Its activities will include tyre development, raw material analysis and evaluation, supplier audits, and mould drawing preparation.

Yokohama Rubber said the new operation would also support research into new raw materials and the development of local suppliers in China.

The company currently operates tyre plants in Hangzhou and Suzhou, alongside multiple business plants in Hangzhou and Weifang.

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Chhattisgarh-based technology company Aarika Innovation has introduced KoolWheel, an automated tyre water spray cooling system manufactured in India.

The product is designed for freight vehicles and school buses to manage tyre overheating caused by road surface temperatures.

The system uses IR (infrared) temperature sensors, a 5-bar pump and solenoid valves to spray a mist on tyres when temperatures exceed a threshold. The hardware operates on a 12V setup and includes a controller that requires no driver intervention. Dashboard indicators and buzzers provide alerts regarding system status and temperature levels.

The company has introduced two variants of the product for KoolWheel Freight, which is designed for trucks, trailers and multi-axle vehicles, covering up to 22 tyres across six axles. And KoolWheel SchoolSafe, which is developed for school buses and coaches, featuring a 50-litre stainless steel tank and an automatic shutoff to prevent battery drain.

The company states the system can reduce tyre temperatures by up to 25deg Celsius and extend tyre life by up to 35 percent. The technology is intended to reduce the risk of blowouts and maintenance costs for fleet operators. The product is currently available in markets including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana.

Swayam Agarwal, Founder, Aarika Innovation, said, “KoolWheel has been created to solve a very real problem faced by Indian transporters and school bus operators every day. Tyre overheating is not just a maintenance issue; it directly impacts road safety, operating costs, and fleet reliability. With KoolWheel, our aim is to offer an affordable, intelligent, and Made-in-India solution that helps fleets run safer, longer, and more efficiently.”

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European tyre major Pirelli is starting production of its Cyber Tyre technology at its plant in Georgia. The facility produces tyres for the US market, including products for the motorsport segment.

The announcement occurred during the SelectUSA Investment Summit. Cyber Tyre is a system that collects data from sensors embedded in tyres. This data is processed through software and algorithms to communicate with vehicle electronics. The system is intended to integrate with driving systems to provide functionalities for mobility and safety.

Pirelli is also introducing the Modular Integrated Robotised System (MIRS) at the factory. This manufacturing process uses robots to manage productivity and quality. The system creates a link between product design and application. This update is intended to increase the production capacity of the site.

The Georgia plant has operated for over two decades and includes a research and development centre. The facility uses natural rubber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Claudio Zanardo, CEO of Pirelli North America, said, “The start of Cyber Tyre production in our Rome, Georgia plant is a significant milestone for Pirelli in this country. It reflects our commitment to bringing advanced technologies like Cyber Tyre closer to the market, further strengthening our industrial footprint and innovation capabilities in the United States.”

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. developed a proprietary tyre mould design support system in April 2026, integrating finite element method (FEM) simulations and the company’s own artificial intelligence technology. This new tool is designed to augment the expertise of development personnel, enabling even less experienced staff to efficiently design moulds. It achieves this by providing data derived from numerous virtual experiments, which clarify how different mould design factors influence tyre characteristics.

The system accelerates mould development, lowers costs and minimises the rework typically associated with realising new designs. Furthermore, by fostering a multi-perspective understanding of the links between mould design elements and tyre performance, the tool equips Yokohama Rubber’s developers with fresh insights. These discoveries are expected to aid in creating tyres capable of achieving higher performance levels.

Developed under Yokohama Rubber’s HAICoLab AI concept launched in October 2020, the system addresses longstanding challenges. Mould design critically affects tyre traits, but traditionally understanding this relationship required expensive, time-consuming trial production and evaluations. The process also depended heavily on the tacit know-how of highly experienced staff, leading to variations in accuracy and development time based on individual expertise.

The support system resolves these issues through automated simulations and AI-based prediction and visualisation. It first generates numerous tyre FEM models with varied mould shapes and calculates their characteristics in a virtual space. These results train an AI surrogate model that instantly predicts design factor-performance relationships. By applying explainable AI technologies like SHAP and Partial Dependence Plots, the company’s developers can quantitatively visualise each factor’s impact, easily determining necessary adjustments to achieve targeted tyre characteristics.

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