Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Company and Alcoa have announced the formation of a partnership to apply world-class structural design, materials and manufacturing technologies to develop a new generation of energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly buses for China's commuters.

The first element of the partnership will be the development of a new, environmentally-friendly bus design that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy. It is anticipated that the prototypes will be ready in time for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

"The partnership between Yutong Bus and Alcoa on the new sustainable bus demonstrates long-term commitment to the support of our government's policy to build mass transportation vehicles in harmony with society – people and the environment," said Tang Yuxiang, chairman and chief executive of Zhengzhou Yutong, one of China's largest bus manufacturers.

A recent study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in Heidelberg, Germany, which was presented last month at the 2007 China Aluminum and Transportation Conference in Dalian, revealed that a weight reduction of 100 kilograms in a diesel-powered city bus making several stops will save 2,550 liters of fuel and significantly reduces C02 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime.

"Our goal, of course, is to work with Yutong to achieve significantly more than 100 kg weight reduction per vehicle," according to Jinya Chen, Alcoa's president for the Asia-Pacific Region.

The aluminum industry is projected to be greenhouse gas neutral by the year 2020 as a result of projected use in the transportation market. This means that the savings in greenhouse gas emissions from lighter weight, more fuel efficient vehicles will more than offset emissions generated when the metal is first produced.

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