Challenge purpose: Improved recyclability and carbon footprint of thermoplastic extruded and pultruded interior of buses 

About the challenge:

Lightweight interior components
Ebusco breaks the barriers of current bus design in our drive for sustainable public transport. Not only by using composite materials in the main structure of the body, but also in its approach to focus the design on passenger comfort, driver support, Total Cost of Ownership and contributions to make the world we live in a safer and healthier place. With continuing urbanisation and the end of the fossil fuel era, innovation is key. The Ebusco 3.0 is a true example of innovation: ultra-lightweight, zero-emission, low noise and increased life span. We would like to increase/improve efficient material use and recyclability. For the interior, we would like to introduce components for improved recyclability and reduced carbon footprint. Identified components are the roof ducts that cover the technical equipment. Conventional designs are a combination of extrusion/pultrusion and several identical hatches. 

Main section of application: 

• Automotive
• Could be replicable in other sectors 

Main cross-cutting topics: 

• Material supply & development
• Design & smart functions
• Recycling 

Scope of the challenge

• Roof ducts run the full length of the bus and consist of continuous 2Dprofiles (ex- or pultrusion) and 3D formed hatches.
• Conventional materials result in heavyweight components in order to achieve sufficient stiffness and recyclability is limited.
• Challenge is to achieve lightweight, cost-effective, low carbon footprint parts in sufficient quantities. Ballpark volumes for 2D profiles 75-100 km per year,  3D hatches 75.000 tot 100.000 parts per year.

Challenge objectives

• Evaluation of design (material, mechanical properties, cost, footprint, supply chain) of material & process options.
• Feasibility demonstrator / small series production run for verification
• Part supply for series production

Can you provide a solution to this challenge?

More information can be found here: https://www.rightweightnwe.com/application-form