Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C. has submitted its HDL Eco Plus ContiTread drive and trailer retread tire products to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership for certification as low-rolling-resistance technologies, the tire maker said.
Conti said it submitted the retreads to SmartWay for certification June 12, the day the EPA announced new performance requirements for retreads on Class 8 line-haul trucks.
“Our submission of these ContiTread products for verification by SmartWay—as soon as the standards were published—is a testimonial to how committed Continental is to helping fleets lower their overall driving costs, over the entire life of their tires,” said Roger Stansbie, Continental director of radial tire truck technologies, in a press release.
There was no information on the SmartWay or general EPA websites on the new requirements, and no notices in the June 12 or 13 Federal Register. However, test methods to measure retreads for fuel efficiency have been in the works at the agency since at least early 2011.
The SmartWay Transport Partnership is a voluntary EPA program through which truck fleets can try to reduce their fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.