Vredestein helping ‘Superbus’ get up to speed

Before you next gripe, Jeremy Clarkson-style, that the bus is a slow and cumbersome form of transport worthy of your finest sneer, you should take the time to acquaint yourself with the Superbus project. The 15 metre long, 23 seat vehicle is now under development and its Dutch builder claims a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) for the vehicle. The first Superbus prototype was presented in Dubai on the opening day of the World Exhibition of the International Association of Public Transport on April 10, 2011, and project developer Superbus B.V. aims to have the high speed vehicle ready for commercial use in 2015. To keep the bus rolling at its anticipated top speed the company is drawing upon support in the tyre department from Apollo Vredestein.

As the Dutch tyre maker observes, existing buses typically do not travel faster than 80 to 100 km/h, so a bus tyre for the envisioned speeds had never previously been developed. To meet the high-speed bus’s requirements, Apollo Vredestein has developed the Ultrac Sessanta Superbus. During testing the manufacturer has achieved a maximum speed of 340 km/h with the tyre, more than enough for Superbus. The Giugiaro-designed, Ultrac Sessanta Superbus has the dimensions and load carrying capabilities of a truck tyre combined with the aesthetics and speed requirements of an enlarged high-performance car tyre.  It was developed by Vredestein engineers in size 315/50 ZR22 XL 124W (the speed rating W indicating a maximum approved speed of 270 km/h or 168mph). Each Superbus tyre can support a weight of 1,600 kg.