Continental unveils tire prototype with 43% recycled content

A black tire, but not quite like the others: Continental is presenting a prototype designed for electric cars that contains 43% directly recycled materials. It also reaches the top class under the European tire label for rolling resistance, the level that measures energy losses as the tire moves along the road.

The project is called ZEvRA, a European program focused on the circularity of electric cars that brings together 28 partners. Continental is the only tire manufacturer involved. Its prototype incorporates recycled steel, rubber recovered from end-of-life tires, polyester fibers made from PET bottles and recycled tall oil.

The manufacturer also uses carbon black recovered through pyrolysis, a process that transforms used tires to extract reusable materials. Residual sand, including material from foundries, is also used to produce an alternative to the silica normally used in rubber compounds. The aim is to reduce the share of virgin resources without giving up the properties expected of a tire: grip, service life and mechanical strength.

Low rolling resistance targets another very concrete issue for electric cars. Losses caused by tires directly affect energy consumption and available range. Continental does not, however, provide a quantified range gain for this prototype: the stated performance relates to its rolling-resistance class.

So what does this mean in practice? The prototype is still serving as a laboratory before any potential move to mass production. Continental acknowledges that some recycling supply chains are not industrialized enough and that available material volumes will need to keep pace. The group nevertheless says renewable and recycled materials accounted for 28% of its tire material purchases in 2025, with a target of at least 40% by 2030. The ZEvRA tire therefore points to a direction: improving an ordinary car component to reduce both its material footprint and the losses that eat into its range.