dancer proposes a lighter electric city bus through the use of composite materials

dancer proposes a lighter electric city bus through the use of composite materialss
(above) the project aims to integrate new technological materials into the public transportation sphere
all images courtesy of dancer bus / © eglė ščerbinskaitė

‘dancer bus’ is a project by JSC ‘vėjo projektai’ that aims to create a new generation of city buses. it is a visionary approach to the automotive industry that seeks to integrate into the public transportation sphere the original concepts used in bus design with new technological materials and wind power usage. ‘dancer’s’ intention is to make public transportation an integral part of lithuanian cities. with this proposal, the creators mix technology, art, industry and society in order to improve the urban environment.

the project mixes technology, art, industry and society to improve the urban environment

the first step was converting an old ‘škoda TR14’ into a contemporary transport unit with the ability to disconnect from the power grid. the conversion aimed to make the existing trolley-bus less heavy and to extend its possibilities by creating transparent and interactive exteriors. the reduction of weight was achieved by exchanging the bus’ skin made of metal sheets with vertical transparent panels created out of translucent composite materials. this results in more naturally illuminated cabins that open up to wider city views. during the night, this material can be programmed to show static or dynamic data.

video courtesy of marius ščerbinskas

the next step is to produce the lightweight electric city buses, integrating more advanced powertrain systems with engines in the wheels, and implementing modern media technologies to the vehicle.

metal panels were replaced with composite translucent ones and glass

interior of the bus, while engineers test it and monitor it

the bus has a 57% weight reduction

the city bus is completely electric

side view of the bus

the composite panels allow for media to be projected during night time

general view of the video projections

video projections detail

project info:

developer: JSC ‘vėjo projektai’ (www.dancerbus.com)
design team: urtė naujėkaitė (http://www.byurte.com) justas prikockis, skirmantas sinkevičius, marius ščerbinskas (www.supermario.lt)
video projections: monica bonomo (www.monicabonomo.com)
photos: eglė ščerbinskaitė (www.elion.photos)
video: mikas zabulionis (www.zamikas.com) 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.