In the drive to clean up transport, seemingly innocuous features of vehicles such as seating can play a big role in improving efficiency.

That’s according to a number of businesses involved in the market, including the United States Seating Company (USSC) and HSM Transportation.

They say lighter seats result in more efficient vehicles that can travel further, especially in high-capacity forms of transport such as buses and coaches.

Tony Everett, President of HSM Transportation, said: “It’s weight and economics that drive the industry.”

The shift from diesel and other traditional fuels to battery propulsion is also driving a push for lightweight seating.

Executive Vice President of the USSC, Raymond Melleady, said: “With battery propulsion, weight is distance.

“The more weight you take out of a vehicle, you allow that vehicle to travel further distances.”