Germany - HÜBNER GmbH & Co. KG (HÜBNER Group) of Kassel, Germany has found its first customer for its advanced electronically controlled steering system* for high capacity passenger transport in Turkey with articulated bus building specialist, AKIA (a brand of Ulaşım İç ve Dış Ticaret A.Ş. (Ulasim) of Inegöl, Bursa, Turkey.

AKIA is developing a 36-metre-long high-capacity battery-powered electric vehicle, called ‘TransEra’, which can operate on normal roads without the need for special lanes, tracks or guidance systems. This new vehicle concept is made possible by a new steering system by Hübner that intelligently and safely controls six or multiple axles of high-capacity buses in urban traffic as reported on by Truck & Bus Builder in September 2022: Hübner offers new steering system in buses to revolutionize passenger transport in cities.

The importance and significance to the bus and other road transport sectors of this advancement in steering by Hübner is perhaps best highlighted by Remzi Baka, Chairman of the Board of ULASIM Group Company, who said:

AKIA is opening up a new chapter in mobility. We are proud to present the new ‘TransEra’ – the world’s largest rubber-tyre based vehicle with a length of 36 metres, developed with the steering technology of the Hübner Group. The vehicle will be a solution for uninterrupted passenger transport with fast-charging and improved battery systems.

Baka added that feasibility studies with local authorities are currently in progress with the aim to expand the public transport system in Istanbul, in which the new vehicle concept will play a significant role. ULASIM Group Company plans to present the first prototype of “TransEra” in 2025.

Uwe Bittroff, Managing Director of the Hübner Group, speaking ahead of Busworld, where it had a virtual simulator enabling a visitors to the stand to drive a Hübner steering chassis module remotely on a test pad in Germany, added:

We are very pleased that AKIA is now the first partner to opt for our steering system. This makes us confident that the benefits of our technology will become even more evident with the first vehicle on the road. Safely controllable high-capacity buses can be a gamechanger for the public transport of the future in many regions of the world. That’s why we are open to further partners and look forward to exchanging ideas with customers about innovative vehicle concepts at Busworld Europe in Brussels.

*The HÜBNER steering system has been developed according to the current functional safety ISO standard 26262 requirements incorporating a fail-operational system. It has a modular design, which allows bus manufacturers to produce individual vehicle concepts. The HÜBNER steering system can be used in two-way operation and includes an interface connection for autonomous driving meet future requirements for public mobility solutions.

**AKAI: In recent years the company has already delivered more than 100 LF25 Metrobus vehicles with a length of 25 metres and a capacity of 270 passengers to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.