The first large electric buses will run on the streets of Romania starting next year, after a Turkish company won a tender worth 35 million euro for public transport in Brasov and Timisoara, where will be delivered in total 56 e-ATA, 18 meters long buses.

According to a statement from Karsan, the contract was signed in August, and the first 10 vehicles will be delivered to Romania next month. This is the largest export contract for electric buses in Turkey, according to Agerpres.

“Karsan vehicles, which have been circulating on the streets of our country for more than three years, are distributed in Romania by Anadolu Automobil Rom, a leader in the supply of electric buses. With a number of 160 units delivered, of which 65 Karsan electric buses, Anadolu Automobil Rom, based on the contracts already signed, will deliver another 164 units next year, out of which 111 produced by the Karsan company,” it is mentioned in the release.

One of the company’s buses, the 12-meter-long e-ATA series, took its first passengers on Friday in Bucharest, a city on the map of the tour organized in Europe, the first stop being Romania. Launched in September, e-ATA 12 has already been tested by the public in several cities in Romania, including Timisoara, Jimbolia, Brasov, Slatina, Sibiu, Piatra Neamt and Focsani.

“The e-ATA series has been launched to meet the need for green buses to reduce pollution in large urban areas. With dimensions of 10, 12 and 18 meters in length, the e-ATA series vehicles are the largest bus models in the world in Karsan’s range of electrical products,” the statement said.

According to the quoted source, the buses can be delivered with 7 types of batteries, from 150 kWh to 600 kWh, which can ensure a range of up to 450 kilometers in real driving conditions. The maximum battery capacity can reach up to 300 kWh for the 10 meter model, 450 kWh for the 12 meter model and 600 kWh for the 18 meter model.