Pioneering the transformation of public transport worldwide, especially in Europe, with the vision of being “One Step Ahead in the Future of Mobility“, Karsan has showcased its new generation vehicles for the participants at the Next Mobility Exhibition in Milan, Italy. Gathering the world’s leading companies and national and international stakeholders, the fair does not represent only buses but also technology. At this event, Karsan also announced its dealership agreement with KMobility S.R.L., with which it cooperates to strengthen its presence in the Italian market.
Expanding service network under the leadership of Karsan Europe
Karsan CEO Okan Baş pointed out that the cooperation with KMobility S.R.L. will improve the company’s after-sales operations in Italy. Baş said “This cooperation will boost our effectiveness in providing after-sales services and spare parts towards our expanding electric vehicle park in Italy. With collaborations such as the one with KMobility S.R.L., which we have carried out under the leadership of our 100% subsidiary Karsan Europe, we have focused on expanding our service network and achieving excellence in the customer experience. We are also preparing for the future in after-sales operations of our rapidly growing electric fleet in Europe by cooperating with competent companies. We have intended to be closer to our customers and expand our electric vehicle fleet with these steps we have taken.”
New generation three technologies together at Karsan booth only
Karsan, which shapes its future strategy by foreseeing the electric and autonomous transformation in the sector, made an appearance with the sector’s prominent actors-12-meter e-ATA HYDROGEN, European market leader e-JEST and the world’s first Level 4 autonomous bus Autonomous e-ATAK. Thus, Karsan grabbed attention since it was the only brand that could offer mobility solutions, supported by electricity, hydrogen, and autonomous technologies, under the same roof at the fair.
Innovation in Karsan’s DNA
Karsan has carried 27 thousand passengers and gained 75 thousand kilometers of autonomous driving experience since 2022 following the Autonomous e-ATAK projects launched at 7 locations, including the USA, Norway, Turkey, Romania, and France.
Karsan is now taking more ambitious steps in autonomous technologies. It is deploying “Platooning” and “Remote Driving” features developed with ADASTEC in the Autonomous e-ATAK vehicle. During peak hours, multiple Autonomous e-ATAKs can move like a long-articulated bus thanks to these innovative features. Karsan CEO Okan Baş states that this technology brings cost and energy savings for operators and increases the remote controllability of autonomous vehicles in unexpected cases.
Karsan continues to grow in Italy
Describing Italy as one of Karsan’s main target markets, CEO Okan Baş stated, “As a brand that has introduced many innovations to the sector, we continue to grow stronger in the Italian market, where we have been actively operating since 2021 with our electric vehicles.” Reminding that Karsan ranks 3rd in the Italian electric public transport market by achieving a 13% share, Okan Baş said, “To date, we have delivered over 120 electric vehicles to Italy. And we continue to produce 200 more for this country. E-ATAK, the leader of the electric midibus class in Europe for four years, is our most popular vehicle in Italy. On the other hand, our electric model 18-meter e-ATA is also leading its class in the country. Last year, we delivered 24 18-meter e-ATAs to TPER Bologna, the largest passenger transport company in the Emilia-Romagna region. These vehicles were the first buses with pantograph charging in the region. We have started to receive our first orders as part of the framework contract inked with CONSIP at the end of 2023, Italy’s leading public procurement service provider, for our hydrogen and electric 12-meter e-ATA and 8-meter e-ATAK models. We, as Karsan, constantly strive to grow stronger in Italy.“