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A FIRST IN HISTORY: A PRESIDENT TRAVELS IN A LEVEL-4 AUTONOMOUS ELECTRIC BUS

A First in History: A President
Travels in a Level-4 Autonomous Electric Bus

Turkish President Erdoğan
Becomes the First Passenger of Karsan
Autonomous Atak Electric, the First Serial-Produced
Autonomous Electric Bus in Europe and the USA!
 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally examined and tested “Autonomous Atak Electric”, developed co-jointly with ADASTEC leaded by Karsan. It is a 100% electrically powered and self-driving bus declared road-worthy for the highways and streets of Europe and the USA. A ceremonial event was held at the Presidential Complex to mark the occasion, attended by prominent figures including Mustafa Varank, the Minister of Industry and Technology, İnan Kıraç, Kıraça Holding Board Chairman, Okan Baş, CEO of Karsan, Kamil Güçlü, Chairman of ADASTEC and Dr. Ali Ufuk Peker, CEO of ADASTEC. Briefed extensively about Karsan Autonomous Atak Electric, Europe’s and USA’s first Level-4 self-driving electric bus in its segment, President Erdoğan enjoyed a tour inside the self-driving bus at the Presidential Complex, accompanied by his entourage.



Developed jointly by Karsan, a powerhouse of the Turkish automotive industry which brings half a century’s experience to the table, and California-based tech company ADASTEC which specialises in autonomous driving software platform, Autonomous Atak Electric, a driverless bus declared road-worthy for the highways and streets of Europe and the USA, debuted at the event held at the Presidential Complex. At the event, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank, personally examined and tested Karsan Autonomous Atak Electric. Prominent figures including İnan Kıraç, Kıraça Holding Board Chairman, Okan Baş, CEO of Karsan, Kamil Güçlü, Chairman of ADASTEC and Dr. Ali Ufuk Peker, CEO of ADASTEC were also present to mark the occasion. Following their inspections, President Erdoğan and his entourage took a special tour inside the Level-4 Autonomous Atak Electric at the Presidential Complex. Autonomous Atak Electric, jointly developed and prepared for serial production by Karsan and ADASTEC, stands out for being Europe’s and USA’s first Level-4 self-driving electric bus in its segment. 



Speaking at the event, İnan Kıraç, Chairman of the Board of Kıraça Holding said, “Having had the privilege to witness the growth journey of the Turkish automotive industry, I feel immensely excited to be here today. It is a great source of elation and delectation to have developed and Europe’s and USA’s first serial-produced self-driving bus. These great achievements are a testimony to how far the Turkish automotive industry has come. It makes us feel very proud to create pioneering work that is acknowledged all around the globe .”



Okan Baş, CEO of Karsan, said the following in his speech, “Karsan has considerable experience working with electric vehicles. We have been exporting Jest Electric and Atak Electric, both 100% electrically powered vehicles, to Europe and the USA and other parts of the globe for many years now. Our electric vehicles have so far hit the 1 million km mileage milestone in 30 different cities of Europe and the USA. A massive know-how and experience lies behind this achievement. However, we are aware that the future is not just about electric vehicles; the next step forward is autonomous vehicle technologies, a major component of the automotive ecosystem. As a matter of fact, we look at our range of electric vehicles as a stepping stone to self-driving ones, which are our primary focus. While there are pilot projects in the field of driverless vehicles for small minibuses of 5 meters, there are no driverless regular-size buses in America and Europe. Today, we are pleased to launch Karsan Autonomous Atak Electric, a pioneering novelty for the 8-meter segment which can be enjoyed by drivers in the America and European markets.”

Dr. Ali Ufuk Peker, CEO of ADASTEC, continued “With our Level-4 autonomous driving software platform ‘flowride.ai’, we have aimed for a safe, comfortable and efficient driving experience. We deployed our high-tech solution in the autonomous redesign of the 8-meter electric bus Atak Electric to meet the demands of public transport in the future. We are proud to break new grounds in autonomous vehicles in our partnership with Karsan.”

Autonomous Atak Electric: A Unique Novelty in Europe and the USA with its Size and Cutting-Edge Technology The first Level-4 autonomous bus in the 8-meter segment to be operated on the roads of Europe and the USA, Autonomous Atak Electric was modeled on Atak Electric, Karsan’s 100% electrically powered electric bus. Testing, simulated driving experiments and quality validation for Autonomous Atak Electric were completed in one year, making the bus ready for serial production. Karsan’s R&D team worked in collaboration with the California-based tech company ADASTEC for the development of the Autonomous Atak Electric. Autonomous Atak Electric, the first serial-produced vehicle from this collaboration sold to Romania, will be delivered by the end of February to serve as the country’s public transport vehicle. Level-4 Autonomous Atak Electric, developed jointly by Karsan and ADASTEC, was modeled on Atak Electric, powered by 220 kWh batteries developed by BMW that is capable of producing 2500 Nm torque with 230 kW engine power. Boasting a 300 km range, the 8.3 meter long Atak Electric can carry over 52 passengers making Autonomous Atak Electric a pioneer in its segment.