Rivian Relies on Continental Tires for its Fully Electric Rivian Prime Van Ex Works

Hanover, Germany, March 21, 2022. The electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian relies on tires from Continental for its fully electric RPV 500 and RPV 700 delivery vans, which were developed for an American globally leading online retailer. For the North American market, Rivian Prime Vans (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.

Throughout the world, carmakers rely on Continental as a leading tire manufacturer. In Europe, almost every third vehicle comes off the line with Continental tires. Globally, Continental supplies tires to seven of the ten most successful electric vehicle manufacturers ex works.

In the van segment, the premium manufacturer provides summer, winter and all-season tires for a wide range of vehicles for commercial and private use. In Europe, Continental provides the all-season tire VanContact A/S Ultra, which is robust, durable and characterized by high mileage as well as very good snow performance.

The VanContact A/S LT245/70 R17 119/116 Q is approved in North America both for OEM as well as for replacement tires for Rivian RPV 500 and 700 delivery vans.