Continental Self-Driving Vehicle

2018: Test car launch

On December 21, 2018, the company Continental launched USA a test facility for car a wide range of road surfaces at its Yuwald Test Site in Texas. This is to make Continental tire test results for passenger cars and light trucks more informative and to cars minimize the impact of the test procedure on results. The test vehicle is based on that automated system Continental Cruising Chauffeur developed for motorways.

The test vehicle is controlled by a satellite navigation system. A car equipped with a camera and sensors will be able to immediately respond to people, animals or other unexpected obstacles on the road even without the participation of the driver. This development contributes to the implementation of Continental Vision Zero's accident prevention strategy.

"In a critical situation, the level of bus technology depends on whether the car stops on time or not. Thanks to tests on an automated car, we get accurate results and, thereby, guarantee the high quality of our tires. " Nikolai Zetzer, Continental Board Member and Head of Tire Facilities

As noted in Continental, one of the most difficult tasks in the production of tires is to conduct high-quality tests when using a tire. Rubber mixtures and tire models to be developed must be tested in real-world conditions, demonstrating how they function, for example, on gravel. Driving a test car places high demands on the driver, as the slightest deviations on the test track can have a tremendous impact on the quality and comparability of results.

"We want to automate and therefore standardise tyre tests to the point where the slightest tyre differences can be determined. An automated car allows us to accurately reproduce tests, that is, each tire is tested in absolutely the same conditions. So we can be sure that the difference in results is really caused by the differences in the tires, not the testing procedure itself. " Thomas Sych, head of tire testing at Continental

In addition to improved comparability of results, tire testing with automated vehicles will also reduce the number of test track maintenance activities. Since the car goes along a route that differs only by a few centimeters from time to time, the track coverage wears out less and requires much less maintenance, Continental emphasized.