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KARSAN WON SOFIA TENDER WITH E-JEST FOR 30 ELECTRIC MINIBUSES

Karsan Won Sofia Tender With E-Jest For 30 Electric Minibuses  

Leader of the European Market, Karsan e-JEST  

continues to grow! 

Karsan, one of the leading companies in automotive industry, continues to take important steps towards growth, armed with the "One Step Ahead in the Future of Mobility" motto. Entering 2022, with the aim of doubling growth in all areas, Karsan will deliver 30 units of small bus e-JEST under an agreement signed with the Bulgarian municipal operator Stolichen Avtotransport in Sofia. Bulgaria follows in the footsteps of France, Romania, Portugal and Germany, where the highest numbers of e-JEST minibuses are sold. Okan Baş, CEO of Karsan, said, "We doubled our exports in 2021 compared to the previous year and entered 2022 with the same growth target. In this context, we have signed a very important agreement. With e-JEST minibuses, Karsan was awarded the tender for the delivery of 30 units of electric minibuses for the city of Sofia in Bulgaria. Our goal is to deliver all 30 units to the city in 2022. We will sign other important agreements this year as we aim to grow further with our vision of an electric future."  

Bringing the technologies of the future to the present, Karsan reshapes the industry with its leading products and continues to dominate the electric minibus market in Europe. Karsan won the tender for the delivery of 30 electric minibuses for the city of Sofia in Bulgaria with its e-JEST minibuses, the first electric model to hit the road in early 2019, and rounded off 2020 and 2021 as the leader in the market for electric minibuses in Europe. In this context, Karsan signed a contract with Stolichen Avtotransport, the operator of Sofia municipality, for delivery of 30 units of e-JEST minibuses through the Bulgarian dealer BulBus.  

To be put to active use in 2022 

With this agreement, which will be the largest number of electric minibus deliveries so far in Bulgaria, Karsan intends to deliver all 30 units of e-JEST minibuses to the city of Sofia throughout 2022. The Sofia Municipality, on the other hand, plans to expand its environmentally friendly transportation services by putting these 30 electric vehicles into service for use in public transportation by the end of the year. 

"An important part of our growth strategy" 

Emphasizing that they had entered 2022 with the goal of a double growth, Okan Baş, CEO of Karsan, said, "We doubled our exports in 2021 compared to the previous year and entered 2022 with the same growth target. In this context, we have signed a very important agreement. With its e-JEST model, Karsan was awarded the tender for the delivery of 30 units of electric minibuses for the city of Sofia in Bulgaria. Our goal is to deliver all 30 e-JEST minibuses to the city in 2022. We will sign other important agreements this year as we aim to grow further with our vision of an electric future." 

"We will have a significant share in Bulgaria" 

Reminding that Karsan delivered its first electric minibus to Bulgaria last year, Okan Baş said, "In 2021, we already delivered 4 units of e-JEST minibuses to Dobrich, Bulgaria. With this project, we will grow stronger here in Bulgaria, and reach an electric vehicle park of  34 units by the end of 2022 . The market for minibuses between 3.5 and 8 tons was 65 in Bulgaria in 2021. We have already taken a very important step by winning the tender for 30 electric minibuses in Sofia. At Karsan, we believe that we will command a significant portion of the Bulgarian minibus market in 2022.” 

Karsan e-JEST, Europe’s Number One 

Karsan e-JEST managed to gain a 24 percent market share in its class in Europe in 2019, the first year of its launch, and managed to become the best-selling model in its class in 2020 by bringing that share up to 43 percent that year. According to the European Minibus Market Report covering 3.5-8 metric ton-class for 2021, published by Wim Chatrou - CME Solutions, the eco-friendly model, which further built on its success the previous year, increased its market share for electric minibuses in Europe to 51.2 percent, making it the leading brand of its class two years in a row. Karsan's electric minibus e-JEST continues its growth trend with important agreements signed in 2022. 

e-JEST offers a range of up to 210 km with its high maneuverability 

A proven performer which comes with high maneuverability and unmatched passenger comfort, e-JEST is equipped with a BMW electric motor capable of 170 HP strength and 290 Nm torque with optional 44 or 88 kWh batteries, also made by BMW. Offering the best performance in the six-meter bus class with a range of up to 210 km, the small city bus e-JEST also boasts a regenerative braking system which provides energy recovery by enabling the batteries to self-recharge at a rate of 25 percent. Decorated with a 10.1-inch multimedia touchscreen, fully digital dashboard, keyless ignition, and USB ports as well as an optional WiFi compatible infrastructure, e-JEST does not come short in terms of comfort compared to passenger cars thanks to its four-wheel independent suspension system.