Karsan begins deliveries in North America
A Karsan e-Jest electric minibus has been delivered to the Canadian city of Saint John in cooperation with Karsan’s distributor Damera. A fleet of six vehicles will start offering service in Saint John this September.
The new electric buses from Karsan have been purchased as part of the city’s Public Transport Transformation Program. The e-Jest is produced in Turkey as a mini bus designed for on-demand and low-volume routes.
The Karsan electric bus has a range of 210 kilometres on a single charge. The e-Jest model features a regenerative braking system that allows the battery to recharge at a rate of 25 per cent. The bus is equipped with BMW electric drive system and batteries – a deal that dates back to 2018 when BMW and Karsan agreed on the delivery of BMW motors and batteries for the e-Jest manufactured in Bursa for local as well as foreign markets.
North America has seen enormous demand for electric buses for schools and public transport services in the last two years as governments and councils are keen to decarbonise their services. Ian Fogan, director of Transit and Fleet at the City of Saint John, said that efforts had been made to purchase electric buses produced in North America, but supply is in high demand.
According to the publication Sustainable Bus, Karsan has scored another electric vehicle contract in North America. The Turkish company’s Autonomous e-Atak vehicle was sent to Michigan State University in the USA to operate on its campuses. The autonomous shuttle bus e-Atak is now carrying students, lecturers and visitors on campus. This offers Karsan an opportunity for branded autonomous vehicle experience in real traffic conditions in North America.
Okan Baş, Karsan CEO, said that Karsan had identified North America as the target market after Europe: “We continue our global collaborations with Canada in North America in accordance with our strategy. Starting to carry passengers in Saint John city of Canada in September, Karsan e-Jest has become Canada’s first low entrance, 20-foot electric minibus offering public transportation service,” he revealed. “With Karsan e-Jest, we aim to have our electrical product range in the North American market effectively in the coming period, and we continue our efforts in this direction at full speed.”
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