The electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian relies on tires from Continental for its fully electric RPV (Rivian Prime Van) 500 and RPV 700 delivery vans. For the North American market, RPVs are equipped with size LT245/70 R16 VanContact A/S all-season tires ex works.
The VanContact A/S has been developed to meet the special requirements of Rivian. The focus was primarily on high mileage as well as a low rolling resistance of the tire. There was also a special requirement for a high load capacity, as the delivery van is battery-powered. Due to the weight of the battery, the vehicles are heavier than a comparable combustion engine model.
The tread design of the VanContact A/S features a large number of sipes, broad lateral grooves as well as wide longitudinal grooves in the shoulder. This results in improved water distribution and removal and ensures even better braking, aquaplaning and traction performance on wet roads. Additional snow traction ripples in the shoulder, which interlock into the surface of the snow, ensure safe performance in snow. Block-to-block connections over the entire tread pattern result in high stiffness, so that the tire has a good steering response, which ensures excellent handling. Thanks to an optimized tread compound, both the mileage and performance in snow could also be improved.
