Composite solutions for the bus industry
Discover the limitless potential of custom-made composite solutions for the bus industry. Our composite solutions cater to various applications, including bus and coach side panels, body panels, luggage racks, side walls, roofs, and other bus structures. These materials are meticulously engineered to optimize performance and meet your specific requirements. Experience the flexibility of Exel Composites' lightweight and long-lasting bus components, offering unmatched durability and functionality.
Reducing cost of ownership with innovative composite solutions
As the transportation sector continues to evolve, Exel Composites stays at the forefront of innovation, providing a comprehensive range of custom-designed composite products for buses and coaches. Through our exceptional pultrusion and continuous lamination techniques, we offer custom-made GRP and CFRP composites that deliver superior advantages across a wide range of bus applications, including bus roofs, body panels, side walls, skirt profiles, coach profiles, luggage racks, and internal coves. Employing composites in bus manufacturing unlocks transformative benefits, such as substantial fuel economy improvements, reduced maintenance costs, and numerous possibilities for creative design. Get in touch with our experts today and start optimizing your bus fleet.
Key advantages of using composite parts in buses and coaches
Light Weight and Fuel Efficiency
Exel Composites' composite materials, such as glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GRP) and carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), are significantly lighter than traditional materials. By incorporating these lightweight composites into bus panels and structures, operators can achieve improved fuel efficiency, lower carbon emissions, and increased electrical autonomy for electric buses.
Durability and Reduced Maintenance Costs
Composite panels, such as fiberglass side panels, offer exceptional durability and resistance to dings, dents, and corrosion. This inherent durability coupled with the lightweight characteristics of composites results in reduced maintenance requirements and costs over the lifespan of the bus.
Reduction in Design Complexity
With Exel Composites' solutions, design complexity can be significantly reduced. Multiple functions can be integrated into a single composite profile, allowing for the incorporation of features such as hinges, airducts or cable channels. By minimizing the overall part count, manufacturers can save on manufacturing time and streamline the assembly process.
The Versatility of composites in the bus industry
Exel Composites offers versatile composite solutions for various bus profiles, components and structures, delivering a host of benefits:
- Bus side panels (side walls), body panels and skirt profiles and roofs: Enhance durability, insulation, and weather resistance by replacing traditional materials with lightweight, impact-resistant composite panels.
- Bus internal panels and internal profiles: Streamline manufacturing andreduce amountof parts with multifunction profiles, and make installation faster
- Luggage racks and internal coves: Construct lightweight yet robust luggage racks andinternal coves using composites to optimize functionality and reduce weight.
- Coach profiles and structures: Unlock innovative design possibilities by incorporating composites into coach profiles, streamlining assembly, minimizing installation errors,and improving overall efficiency.
The growing role of composites in the bus and coach industry
This whitepaper addresses many of the current material challenges faced by transportation vehicle manufacturing companies. Soaring urban populations have placed higher demands on public transport infrastructure while environmental pressures have prompted engineers and manufacturers to look for electric vehicle (EV) solutions.
The materials used in vehicles need to accommodate for battery weight and combat corrosion while improving structural integrity, lowering emissions and more.
Driving efficiency and sustainability in the bus industry: customer success with Exel Composites
A collaborative success with Yutong
Exel Composites collaborated with Yutong, a leading Chinese bus and coach supplier, to provide fiberglass profiles for a fleet of electric buses in Helsinki, Finland. These composite profiles contributed to increased energy efficiency, lower maintenance costs, and a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Read the full article on the Yutong reference case.
Composite profiles transform Foton Buses
Exel Composites partnered with Foton Bus and Coach Company to supply pultruded glass fiber composite profiles for various bus models. These profiles offered superior tensile strength, corrosion resistance, and a significant reduction in weight compared to traditional aluminum. The geometric design flexibility of composites enabled wider structural engineering possibilities, supporting Foton’s focus on electric and hydrogen vehicle manufacturing. Explore the Foton partnership news article for detailed insights.
