Zero emissions on top of Busworld Turkey’s agenda. Isuzu, Karsan, Otokar in the spotlight

35 buses from 9 manufacturers, the Turkish trio Isuzu, Karsan and Otokar took the lion’s share. With zero emission applications. The 8th edition of Busworld Turkey, organised by Busworld International and its Turkish partner, HKF Trade Fairs took place from 5 to 7 March 2020 in the Istanbul Expo Center.

Under the given circumstances, with health emergency in many countries due to Coronavirus, Busworld says the turn up was very satisfying in terms of numbers of visitors and their international character.

Busworld welcomed 7,935 visitors coming from 75 countries around the world who were received by 128 exhibitors.

Isuzu in the spotlight of Busworld Turkey 2020

In total 9 vehicle builders were represented in Busworld Turkey, showing 35 buses, coaches and mini buses.

Anadolu Isuzu presented 4 vehicles: Citiport 12 CNG, Novociti Life, Novo Lux and electric Novociti Volt. Unveiled at Busworld Brussels 2019, the Isuzu Novocity Volt (also in the picture above) is an electric midibus equipped with a battery pack of 200 kWh, enough, according to the company, to cover 270 km. The electric motor of the Isuzu, mounted on the rear, develops a power of 240 kW for a torque of 2,300 Nm.

Today the manufacturer exports to 42 countries and they aim to increase the number of countries to 60 by 2023.

Karsan joined the exhibition with the all-electric public transport vehicles Jest Electric and Atak Electric. In the short period of one year Karsan sold 68 Jest Electric in 8 different countries and 18 Atak Electric.

The Busworld visitors could test drive Jest Electric outside on the parking lot. The BMW electric motor proved to be very powerful. Both vehicles are ready for mass production.

Otokar, the market leader. With Kent Electra

Otokar is the market leader in the Turkish bus market and the pioneer in electric and alternative fuels. They attended the fair with 5 vehicles: Sultan LF, Sultan Mega, Sultan Comfort, Otokar Doruk and last but not least Kent Electra, their latest development. The vehicles is a 12 meter 100% electric bus, with brake energy regeneration feature that allows a power recovery up to 20%. It charges overnight in 3 hours, and is equipped with a 289Kw Li-ion battery pack.

Otokar’s strategy is to increase exports and globalization. The share of exports in Otokar’s turnover reached 80 percent in 2019, Busworld press note points out.

Aside of manufacturers and bodybuilder, also suppliers such as Cummins, Allison Transmission, Voith, etc showcased their latest developments. The possibilities of the Internet of Things is one of the newer topics in the world of buses.

Vincent Dewaele, CEO of Busworld International, was delighted with the positive reactions of the exhibitors. “Although the circumstances were not ideal for this edition, it is good to see that Busworld Turkey was a success after all. This gives us all the motivation to start preparing the next edition in 2022.”

Busworls Academy, the ice on the cake

Busworld Academy in Istanbul was organized in a collaboration with the Union of Cities and Local Governments in the Middle East and West Asia (UCLG-MEWA), and with the World Resource Institute (WRI).

The conference focussed on the exchange of insights on the implementation of zero emission bus systems by public transport agencies and by cities.

UCLG- MEWA president Mr. Saadieh emphasized on the importance of Public-Private Partnerships in this process.

Dr. Wolfgang Backhaus from Rupprecht Consult mentioned the multiple supportive tools in the making of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans provided by the European commission and the importance of SUMP’s in the financing of future oriented bus systems.

WRI director Sergio Avelleda listed the barriers for the adaptation of E-buses and described a strategy for the sector to deal with this.

The conference closed with a handshake on the structural collaboration between UCLG-MEWA and Busworld Academy.