Turkey's first electric bus rushes university students on campus to their classes in Istanbul.
The bus was first test driven in Turkey's most populated cities - Istanbul, Izmir, Samsun and Antalya and is now beginning to phase in the transportation of students at university campuses around the country, beginning with Istanbul.
Otokar, a Turkish multinational bus and military vehicles manufacturer, designed and manufactured Turkey's first electric bus, named Doruk Electra, which runs purely on electricity.
Doruk Electra has a seating capacity of 25, a standing capacity of 24 and one disabled seat. The bus' battery can be fully recharged within six to eight hours from industrial electricity. The empty battery can be charged to full capacity at a small cost of 60 liras, ($27).
Otokar engineer Kursad Gokce said that compared to diesel-run buses, the electrical bus is six times more fuel efficient and consumes 30 liras, ($13) worth of energy every 100 kilometers.
"The bus has zero emissions and works quietly," Gokce said.
Turkey's bus run can travel a minimum of 280 kilometers on full charge and depending on usage, environmental conditions and charging throughout the day, this performance can be enhanced up to 40 percent more, according to Gokce.
Since the bus emits no carbon, it is environmentally-friendly and should demand increase, mass production will be considered, he added.
The development project to bring the electric bus to the roads has been in progress since 2010.
Anadolu Agency
