Erdogan tests Turkey’s 1st driverless electric bus

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday attended the test drive of the first locally manufactured driverless electric bus -- Karsan Atak Electric -- on Monday.

Autonomous bus producers will promote Turkey and Turkish brands globally, he noted.

Mustafa Varank, the Turkish industry and technology minister, was also present at the event.

Atak Electric has a range of 300-kilometer (186.4 miles) without interruption thank to its BMW 220-kWh Li-Ion batteries, according to Karsan's website.

"Atak Electric can charge its battery in 5 hours by AC or in 3 hours by DC," it added.

The 8.3-meter-lenght (27.2 feet) bus has a capacity of more than 50 passengers.

The firm has already started the mass production of the bus.

Another Turkish automotive firm Otokar also tested an autonomous electric bus last month.