Karsan, Bozankaya to produce electric buses
The Bozankaya and Karsan companies have signed a strategic cooperation agreement in order to produce electric buses, which have attracted widespread interest from local authorities seeking improved inner-city transportation. Accordingly, the first national electric bus E-Karat, which was developed by Bozankaya with research and development (R&D) resources, licensed for battery management system and commercialized in 2016, will be produced in Karsan's production facilities in the Turkish province of Bursa.
Under the auspices of producing 900 electric buses in the framework of a three-year contract signed with Bozankaya, Karsan's CEO Okan Baş noted that projects involving electric vehicles have quickly been developing worldwide, adding that the General Directorate of Istanbul Electricity, Tramway and Tunnel Management (IETT) plans to purchase electric buses in 2017.Baş said: "We believe that by combining the Bozankaya advantages in R&D with Karsan's strong, experienced infrastructure, we will create many new opportunities in Turkey and countries worldwide." Baş hinted that the new production would be completed by combining Karsan's production capability and experience with Bozankaya's power of engineering and savvy know-how to give new inspiration to the sector as a whole and inner-city transportation as well.
Bozankaya Chairman Aytunç Günay stated that they started working on R&D in 2010 due to anticipation of the expanding future of the sector. Recalling that their first electric bus, the E-Karat, was introduced at the 2014 IAA Hannover Fair in Germany, Günay said that E-Karat, which started carrying passengers in Konya and Eskişehir in 2016, will be operating in İzmir in the first half of 2017, noting: "We also have 17 E-Karats operating in Germany and our exports will reach several times this number as soon as possible," Günay added.
Under the auspices of producing 900 electric buses in the framework of a three-year contract signed with Bozankaya, Karsan's CEO Okan Baş noted that projects involving electric vehicles have quickly been developing worldwide, adding that the General Directorate of Istanbul Electricity, Tramway and Tunnel Management (IETT) plans to purchase electric buses in 2017.Baş said: "We believe that by combining the Bozankaya advantages in R&D with Karsan's strong, experienced infrastructure, we will create many new opportunities in Turkey and countries worldwide." Baş hinted that the new production would be completed by combining Karsan's production capability and experience with Bozankaya's power of engineering and savvy know-how to give new inspiration to the sector as a whole and inner-city transportation as well.
Bozankaya Chairman Aytunç Günay stated that they started working on R&D in 2010 due to anticipation of the expanding future of the sector. Recalling that their first electric bus, the E-Karat, was introduced at the 2014 IAA Hannover Fair in Germany, Günay said that E-Karat, which started carrying passengers in Konya and Eskişehir in 2016, will be operating in İzmir in the first half of 2017, noting: "We also have 17 E-Karats operating in Germany and our exports will reach several times this number as soon as possible," Günay added.