Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan poses for a photo in front of the electric driverless bus as he attends the test ride of it in Ankara, Turkey on February 01, 2021. ( TUR Presidency /Murat Cetinmuhurdar - Anadolu Agency )
ISTANBUL
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday attended the test drive of the first locally manufactured driverless electric bus -- Karsan Atak Electric -- on Monday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
ANKARA, TURKEY - FEBRUARY 01: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends to test ride of the electric driverless bus "Karsan Autonomous Atak Electric" in Ankara, Turkey on February 01, 2021. ( Raşid Necati Aslım - Anadolu Agency )
Autonomous bus producers will promote Turkey and Turkish brands globally, he noted.
Mustafa Varank, the Turkish industry and technology minister, was also present at the event.
Atak Electric has a range of 300-kilometer (186.4 miles) without interruption thank to its BMW 220-kWh Li-Ion batteries, according to Karsan's website.
"Atak Electric can charge its battery in 5 hours by AC or in 3 hours by DC," it added.
The 8.3-meter-lenght (27.2 feet) bus has a capacity of more than 50 passengers.
The firm has already started the mass production of the bus.
Another Turkish automotive firm Otokar also tested an autonomous electric bus last month.
