Otokar, a Turkey-based bus manufacturer has revealed plans to introduce a twelve-metre long electric bus for city commutes at the IAA Mobility summit in Munich. The International Motor show is scheduled to be held from September 7 to September 12.
The bus, coined as e-Kent C, is reportedly twelve metres in length and Otokar claims that it could accommodate 100+ passengers. As per a report from Webasto, the maximum output is 340 kilowatts (455 hp) with a maximum torque of 40,000 newton meters. The bus is powered by lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt-oxide batteries from Webasto, providing 35 kilowatt-hours each. Up to ten batteries can be installed which have a total storage capacity of up to 350 kilowatt-hours. The battery modules are installed on the roof and rear of the bus to achieve superior center of gravity and vehicle dynamics while driving along curves. The range of the electric bus is more than 300 kilometers depending on the topography and usage profile. It can be charged from 0 to 100 percent in four hours, depending on the charging power of the charging equipment. In addition, up to 20 percent of the energy being used can be recovered during braking. Otokar plans a battery utilization cycle of ten years or equivalent 3,000 cycles.
Erdal Usta, Commercial Vehicles Engineering Group Director at Otokar, explains: “Aiming to develop new equipment and applications to meet the changing requirements of our customers, has always been a priority for Otokar. Focusing on our customer needs when selecting our suppliers, the reliability and the performance of the product are most important to us. The batteries from Webasto are extremely reliable, enabling us to shoot right out of the gate with regard to potential tenders in Europe.”
Usta further adds, “We tested the electromagnetic compatibility because there are a lot of electrical components in the e-Kent C that have to function well in combination without disrupting each other. We also had to ensure that there were no negative impacts on the surrounding area, for example, radio interference. We had to be sure that the bus structure could carry the weight throughout its whole lifetime. We completed a total of one million test kilometers equivalent road-load durability testing to ensure the highest quality and safety at every point. We also performed several tests in different regions and climates to check overall energy efficiency for heating and cooling systems and subsystem thermal behaviors.” It has been revealed that the batteries installed on the roof and rear of the bus weigh more than two tonnes.
Sebastian Fuchs, Product Manager Batteries at Webasto, adds: “We have a great collaboration with Otokar and we have learned a lot about commercial vehicle battery applications in terms of software and hardware development over the past months. Thanks to our well-established cooperation based on partnership and the modularity of our battery solutions, we can react on dynamic market demands very fast. This gives Otokar and all our customers a really great advantage.”
