TURKEY’S AUTONOMOUS ELECTRIC BUS MAKES DEBUT

The first mass production autonomous electric bus developed locally by Turkish engineers was last week launched. The Karsan Atak Electric is powered by 220 kWh Li-Ion batteries developed by BMW and has a range of 300 kilometers on a full charge. The 8.3-meter-length bus has a capacity of over 52 passengers. According to Karsan’s statement to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP), the bus will be marketed under Karsan’s own brand and will be an important player in the autonomous vehicles market. The company has completed export deals for two buses so far, Karsan CEO Okan Bas told the Anadolu Agency. A test drive of the was completed with the attendance of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on February 1.