Preparations are underway to mass produce electric cars in Turkey in 2016, according to a board member of Turkish industrial company BEGLER who is running the project.

Board member Melih Yildiz, who is overseeing the research and development department of BEGLER, explained that the company was established to generate a national electric car brand. The company began work in 2013 in a technological development area in Eskisehir with 30 academicians assigned to the project.

"We have two different electric car models to produce," Yildiz said.

"We progressed on the sub-systems and and we are working on different models of the electric car," said Yildiz.

He said that research was conducted on the critical technological parts of the project and said that the company is planning to realize prototype production by the end of 2015 and to begin mass production one year later.

"Our cars will be of sufficient quality to create their own market, and we will start to sell our cars by the end of the 2016," said Yildiz.

According to Yildiz, the company has developed three models for the charge stations needed to power the cars. 

"We are planning to realize the commercialization and sales processes of the charge stations next year and we are working with three universities for this aim," he said.

The country attempted to produce its first domestic car in 1961, called the "Devrim" (Revolution), the production of which was halted after the first four prototypes. Since then, Turkey has not made any significant attempt at reestablishing a Turkish automobile brand until now.

"The 'Devrim' encouraged us," Yildiz said.

Turkey's desire to produce electric cars would appear opportune for the energy-hungry country to diminish its fuel costs, narrow its foreign trade deficit and reduce carbon emissions for a cleaner environment.

By Deniz Acik and Muhsin Baris Tiryakioglu

Anadolu Agency