A lightweight bus seat designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions

Asientos Precom & BASF

Centro de Investigaciones de Diseño Industrial | UNAM
Junior Industrial Designer
México | 2016

Objective: to design and develop a modular, lightweight bus seat solution for Precom, incorporating BASF engineering materials.

Contribution: field research, back & seat designs, infographics, ergonomic simulator, renders, video animations, 3D CAD (Solidworks), and scale 3D print model.

Precom is a Mexican company specialising in the manufacture of passenger bus seats. Seeking to elevate its value proposition, the company embarked on the design of a lighter seat in collaboration with BASF, the chemical company. The aim was not only to ensure comfort and safety, but also to create an experience that would invite passengers to relax, imagine, and dream during their journey.

By reducing the weight of bus seats, touring vehicles become lighter and more efficient. This weight reduction contributes to lower fuel consumption, reduced operational costs, and a meaningful decrease in emissions over time, supporting a more sustainable and responsible approach to travel.

How we did it?

The design approaches adopted included Human-Centred Design (HCD), which focused on passengers’ experiences through field research, as well as co-design workshops involving the design team, Precom, and BASF.

The design process had five design stages:

Research.
Design form exploration.
Concept development.
Final design.
Ergonomic simulator & scale prototype.

Design outcome

The final result was a contemporary design characterised by soft, fluid forms. The gross weight was reduced by approximately 27.8%, from 33.6 kg to 25.3 kg per pair of seats, with the greatest weight savings achieved in the supports and seat structures.

The modular product architecture allows for the customisation of different accessory configurations—such as USB ports, power outlets, and entertainment screens—according to the needs of different customers and users.