These batteries will be ZEN LFP manufactured in Chasseneuil-du-Poitou in France and shipped to Turkey where the coach manufacturing is set to take place.

The Turkish manufacturer, which is a subsidiary of the Koç industrial conglomerate, held a special ceremony at its plant in Sakarya to commemorate the milestones.

Under the themes of “energy transition and sustainable mobility”, the European public transport industry met to demonstrate its new sustainable products/technologies as the sector looks to rapidly decarbonise to meet climate pledges outlined in the European Green Deal.

Both truck models boast cataphoresis chassis coatings for corrosion protection, front-rear disc brakes, adjustable driver seats with air suspension, and advanced driver assistance systems such as lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, and electronic stability control.

The Turkish manufacturer presented a 12-metre fuel cell electric bus, a battery electric coach, a self-driving prototype bus, and a new telematics system called 'BusMonitor'.

Since 2010, Mauri Bus System has represented Otokar and sold its vehicles in Italy.

The first driver-supervised road tests are taking place in Israel with an ‘eCentro’ midibus supplied by Otokar.

Deliveries of the buses - a mixture of diesel and CNG vehicles worth nearly EUR34.2m altogether - are slated to begin in the second half of this year and will run into the first half of 2024. 

The 30 buses delivered recently are from the ‘Vectio U’ 9-metre intercity range and will be used to transport personnel working for the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Report written following the latest FIAA exhibition, a bus and coach show held between 18-21 October in Madrid.

Since the first installation in 2006 – a Euro-IV standard ISB 4.5 in a ‘Sultan’ midi-bus – Cummins diesel and natural gas engines have been offered in the majority of Otokar’s city and inter-city buses and its tourist coaches.

Investments to restructure and expand production and in new zero emission technologies at Otokar leads to more jobs at Sakarya, Turkey in 2022