Alcoa, Yutong to debut eco-friendly buses at Olympic Games

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Alcoa, the world’s leading aluminum company, and Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Co. (Yutong), China’s largest bus manufacturer and the number two producer in the world, introduced two new environmentally-friendly bus prototypes that will be displayed and road-tested during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing next month.

The new aluminum-intensive bus body is approximately 46 percent lighter than a traditional bus and, therefore, requires less fuel and emits fewer greenhouse gases.

The new buses feature Alcoa’s spaceframe technology –- used in automobiles such as the Ferrari 612 -– as well as Alcoa's Dura-Bright forged aluminum wheels, aluminum side and roof panels, and fasteners.

The new Yutong buses will now enter extensive road trials, including helping to service transportation needs in Beijing and other major cities in China during the Olympic Games. The newly designed buses are part of a partnership to apply structural design, materials and manufacturing technologies to develop a new generation of energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly buses for China’s growing commuting public.