Japan / Turkey – Last year Turkish bus manufacturer, Karsan Otomotiv Sanayi ve Tic AŞ (Karsan) of Bursa, announced plans to enter the Japanese market for the first time after signing a distribution agreement with ALTECH Co Ltd, to deliver its electric minibus (the 6-metre e-Jest) to Japanese consumers. The first batch of e-Jest vehicles has now been delivered, serving as the first right-hand drive vehicles in the history of the brand. Karsan will therefore accelerate its production of right-hand drive e-JEST vehicles in the coming months aiming to ship 100 of these vehicles to Japan by the end of 2024, whilst it explores entry into other right-hand drive markets such as the UK. With a capacity of 22 passengers, Karsan is targeting the tourism sector due to the vehicle’s compact dimensions.

The motor and battery, which are currently from BMW's i-series, are capable of developing 170 horsepower and 290 Nm of torque. Four battery configurations are available: 33, 44, 66 or 88 kWh, with the latter giving the vehicle a range of 210 km. The batteries can be recharged in 8 hours with traditional AC charging and in 2 hours with DC fast charging. In addition, thanks to the braking system, the energy recovery is up to 25%. The manufacturer also offers a 3-year or 120,000 km battery warranty.