Hanover, Germany, August 14, 2025. Continental has rolled out an original equipment tire line for use on driverless vehicles. The aContact tire family combines specially developed tire technologies that meet the varying requirements and areas of application of autonomous vehicle fleets. The tires are well suited to robotaxis, shuttle vehicles, autonomous delivery services and, in the future, self-driving private cars. Continental’s aContact tires will soon be hitting public roads for the first time in US cities such as Las Vegas and San Francisco.
“Self-driving robotaxis will soon be part of our everyday mobility – alongside traditional cars, cargo bikes and e-scooters,” says Meletis Xigakis, Head of Research and Development for the original equipment business at Continental Tires. “To ensure maximum efficiency, it is crucial they are equipped with tires made specifically for the job. That is where our aContact product line comes in, combining technologies that have been adapted and customized for the ordering manufacturer or mobility provider – promoting safety and optimizing performance and efficiency.”
Tire development has entered a new era with partially automated and autonomous driving, and Continental once again is at the cutting edge. For years, the technology company has been exploring innovative vehicle concepts and the demands these place on tires, ranging from extremely lightweight vehicles with alternative drive options to self-steering cars. When vehicles are steered by AI-powered algorithms rather than humans, this alters the way they behave on the road. Self-steering cars, for example, usually drive at lower speeds and under strictly controlled conditions. For that reason, tires fitted to robotaxis often need to operate for extended periods of time.