Finland-based Exel Composites has supplied Chinese bus and coach manufacturer Yutong with fiberglass profiles for 33 electric buses which have been delivered to Helsinki, Finland. The introduction of the electric buses is part of the country’s goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by five million kilograms a year.

Exel designs and manufactures large and complex carbon fiber and fiberglass composite profiles. The fiberglass panels delivered to Yutong were manufactured in China, and included the skirt and side panels for the electric buses. Yutong delivered the buses to the Finnish bus and road operator, Pohjolan Liikenne.

Exel is continuing to work with Yutong to develop and manufacture composite solutions for their vehicles.

The delivery of the electric buses is the first time that Yutong, which became the first listed bus company in China in 1997, has entered the Finnish market. This is also the largest volume of buses that Finland has purchased from overseas. The country aims to have 400 electric buses operating in the capital by 2025.

Light-weight fiberglass was important to this project as it reduces operating costs, and helps to increase energy efficiency and that helps improve environmental sustainability. Additionally, our composite profiles resist deformation and corrosion from the harsh road environments typical in Finnish winters. Repairing fiberglass is straightforward and can be done in depot. This means that the overall lifetime operational and maintenance costs of the buses are decreased.

—Olli Tevä, SVP, Sales and Marketing