Transport Industry

There are around 5 million buses and coaches in the world covering over 100 billion kilometers a year. If one of these vehicles became 500 kilograms lighter, it would mean a 3 990 kg cut in carbon dioxide emissions every year per bus. Energy consumption and fuel costs would decrease, passenger capacity would increase, and the environmental footprint of the bus would be smaller. Our aim is to make all the buses in the world lighter by using stainless steel in their body and chassis structures. Now that would make a huge difference, wouldn’t it!

Stalatube is the global market leader in stainless steel bus and coach body and chassis tubes and components. Our aim is to help customers create the world’s most lightweight bus body while maintaining impact safety. This is done by choosing the right stainless steel grade and optimizing the structures and their dimensions.

How to make a lightweight, safe and sustainable bus body? We have the answer.

Ferritic EN 1.4003 (S40977) square and rectangular hollow sections, components, and sheets are an affordable solution providing good structural corrosion resistance and relatively high strength. The strength can be further enhanced with our own strength class STALA400F and several thicknesses are on offer to further optimize the weight.

High-strength Lean Duplex steels EN 1.4062 and EN 1.4162 lead to considerable weight-save and provide superb elongation and corrosion resistance. Fortifying them with our own strength class STALA630D will ramp up their yield strength to 630 MPa along with excellent elongation and energy absorption properties.

Combining Ferritic and Lean Duplex leads to the most lightweight bus or coach body that is both cost-effective and durable. A 500-kilogram decrease in the weight of the bus body is possible through not only material selection but carefully choosing the ideal tube dimensions and thicknesses. Life cycle costs remain low – and the difference is quite remarkable compared to a traditional carbon steel bus. Additional benefits come from reduced CO2 emissions and fuel costs as well as improved passenger capacity.