Press release
Safe and Thrifty Motoring
Continental develops tire pressure monitoring system for trucks and buses
Hanover, September 2008. For years now, new technologies and products from
Continental AG have been contributing in a major way to enhanced driving safety. Slated for
customer trials at the end of the year, a new tire pressure monitoring system for commercial
vehicles not only improves safety and reduces emissions but also provides considerable cost
savings – provided the driver plays along.
Continuous improvements have been made in the past to enhance vehicle energy efficiency.
One example of this is the reduction in a tire’s rolling resistance. In addition, electronic brake
systems, foundation brakes, fan modules, electronic control units, belt drive systems, hybrid
drives and tire pressure control systems from Continental all help to both make thriftier use of
raw materials and improve safety.
The new tire pressure monitoring system supplies precise pressure measurement values for all
wheel positions and can, if the vehicle driver responds as intended, ensure that buses and
semis operate more safely, consume less fuel and, at the same time, pollute less.
The system consists of

a battery-powered transmitter – about the size of a hazelnut – fitted to the inside of the
tire;

a receiver attached to the vehicle chassis frame;

a display on the dashboard of new vehicles or a separate display if the vehicle is
retrofitted with the system.
“The transmitter is powered by means of a seven-year battery,” explains Dr. Jörg Lehmann,
system development project manager at Continental AG in Hanover. “It sends frequent short
high-baud-rate signals to the receiver with information on tire pressure and temperature,” he
adds.
.../2
-2The system is quite easy to assemble. When the tire has to be replaced, the component –
about the size of a hazelnut and weighing less than 20 grams – can be removed from its
rubber holder by means of a special pair of pliers and later reinstalled for further use as
required. The receiver is frame-mounted. The system can be fitted on all vehicle types – i.e.
cars or trucks.
“Continental AG has carried out product life cycle assessments to DIN ISO 14014 ff for car
and truck tires. 95% of all emissions were found to be generated during actual use of the
tire,” reports Dr. Hans-Joachim Nikolin, Continental Executive Board member for the
Commercial Vehicle Tires division. “The remaining five percent occurs during raw material
procurement and in tire production, transportation and recycling.”
These life cycle assessments prompt tire engineers to look for ways and means of reducing
the emissions released by a tire in use. In addition to less tire abrasion, one of the bestknown ways of doing this is to lower the tire's rolling resistance. Tire drag eats up energy –
energy that a heavy commercial vehicle gets from the fuel tank. And so for years now tire
engineers have been steadily improving a tire’s rolling resistance by means of new structural
features and modified rubber compounds, by making tires lighter and by upping mileage
performance. However, as every cost-conscious driver, haulage company manager or fleet
operator probably knows all too well, underinflated tires are one of the best ways of wasting
energy and, ultimately, of unnecessarily driving up costs.
In the U.S.A. alone, four billion liters of diesel were wasted due to an average tire
underinflation of 12%. In the process, CO2 emissions in the order of nine million tonnes were
released. The ContiFleetCheck tool obtained comparable findings in Germany. In other
words, saving on air is costly and also harmful to the environment. Checking tires regularly
and making the necessary adjustments in tire inflation pressure can, moreover, also save
money in other ways. Properly inflated tires hold out longer. And last but not least, properly
inflated tires are safer because they are less likely to fail and have shorter braking distances.
Continental expects the new system to be a market success, not only due to rising fuel prices
and the forecasted growth in road transportation. A recommendation by the U.S. Department
.../3
-3of Transportation, still pending, would make tire pressure monitoring systems mandatory on
buses. This would most certainly get the system off to a good start.
With targeted annual sales of more than €26.4 billion for 2008, the Continental Corporation is one of
the top automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for
the powertrain and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and
technical elastomers, the corporation contributes towards enhanced driving safety and protection of
the global climate. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication.
Today, the corporation employs approximately 150,000 people at nearly 200 locations in 36 countries.
The Commercial Vehicle Tires division, which oversees the development, production and global
distribution of truck, bus and industrial tires, posted a turnover of approx. €1.5bn in 2007 with a
workforce of over 8,000 employees.
The tire divisions are an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2010TM, which will be staged in South
Africa in 2010. You will find information on this at www.ContiSoccerWorld.de,
www.ContiFanWorld.com and www.continental-corporation.com
Udo Brandes
Head of Press and PR Commercial Vehicle Tires
Continental AG
Büttnerstraße 25
30165 Hanover, Germany
Ph.: +49 511 938 - 2923
Fax: +49 511 938 - 2496
udo.brandes@conti.de
Online media databases: www.continental-corporation.com