Challenge purpose: New crash floor solutions for buses

About the challenge:

Increased safety citybus
Current city bus structures offer very little protection to the driver in case of a head-on collision with other road vehicles. Nearly all accident result in heavy injuries or the death of the driver. Provisions for these impacts such as crumpling zones are not required by applicable regulations (cat. M3 vehicle class I). It is Ebusco’s goal to contribute to a better living environment by enabling reliable, sustainable, emission-free and affordable public transport. By using material in the floor in front of the wheels more effectively to absorb/deflect the impact energy the driver will have a safer working environment. The goal is to be able to offer additional safety features on the floor at no additional weight nor production cost.

Main section of application: 

• Automotive
• Could be replicable in other sectors 

Main cross-cutting topics: 

• Characterisation & modelling 
• Design & smart functions
• Manufacturing & assembly 

Scope of the challenge

• As there are no requirements for crash safety for vehicles (cat. M3 class I) to which a crash-safe floor needs to comply are not defined.

Design options for:

• Improved crash behaviour within current weight & cost
• Improved crash behaviour at the added weight and/or cost

Challenge objectives

• Weight & cost-neutral redesign of front floor section which allows improved crash behaviour.
• Design additional crash features for improved safety.
• Manufacture modular floor section for one or both options 

Can you provide a solution to this challenge?

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