Continental tyres for Rivian Prime Vans

Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian has selected Continental tyres as an original equipment fitment for the fully electric RPV 500 and RPV 700 delivery vans it developed for online retailer Amazon. For the North American market, Rivian Prime Vans are equipped with size LT245/70 R16 VanContact A/S all-season tyres ex works.

Continental says it developed the VanContact A/S to meet the special requirements of Rivian. It reports that the focus was primarily on high mileage as well as low rolling resistance and high load capacity.

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 tyre has a good steering response, which ensures excellent handling. Continental says it was able to improve both mileage and performance in snow by optimising the tread compound.

Continental additionally notes that its VanContact A/S LT245/70 R17 119/116 Q is approved in North America both for OEM as well as for replacement tyres for Rivian RPV 500 and 700 delivery vans. Amazon has contracted Rivian to produce 100,000 electric delivery vans by 2030, with the first 10,000 arriving by the end of this year.