Turkey – Bus and defence vehicle manufacturer, Otokar, based in Sakarya, Turkey, has launched the new 12-metre electric low floor city bus, the e-Kent C. The series production model varies from the prototype electric model first unveiled some two years ago at Stockholm, Sweden. It features an electric driveline by Voith with power supplied by Webasto and KERS that can regenerate up to 20% of used energy through braking.

Holding up to 100 passengers and a maximum range exceeding of 300km, the new e-Kent C offers a maximum output of 410kW (550hp) and 3,100Nm of torque (2,290 ft lbs). The Webasto battery unit consists of up to ten 35kW batteries that total a combined weight of two tonnes and take four hours to fully charge. The weight of the batteries has been distributed between the rear of the bus and the roof to achieve an optimum centre of gravity when cornering. The new e-Kent C hosts a central Voith IPSM motor as part of the Voith Electric Drive System (VEDS) and this replaces the previous portal axle motor with integral wheel hub drive (AxTrax AVE) from ZF – the latter axle remains an option for those customers that prefer.