Turkish bus manufacturer Karsan is starting to serve in Japan after it entered the North American market. Karsan has begun its operations with its distributor Altech in Japan with introducing e-JEST, the first right-hand drive vehicle in the history of the brand,
Stating that they, as a Turkish brand, are very proud and happy to operate in a country that reminds anyone of automobiles when mentioned, Karsan CEO Okan Baş: "We are now adding the Japanese market to our successes in Europe and the rapid expansion of our vehicle park in the North American market. We aim to close this year by reaching 1000 electric vehicles in 22 countries.” With this launch Karsan states it is the first European e-bus brand to enter Japan. The aim for Karsan is to sell 100 units in the Japanese market next year. The introduction of the e-JEST was celebrated at the Turkish Embassy in Japan attended by Japanese press as well as the clients. Karsan e-JEST, the 6-meter
electric city bus has a BMW 135 kW electric motor and has a range of 210 kilometres! The passenger capacity is 22. Charging is an hour with fast charging and in four hours with overnight home charging. Regenerative braking enables energy recovery, which will charge the batteries by 25%. The driver has a 10.1-inch touchscreen including vehicle control systems, a fully digital display panel, USB ports, and an optional feature that provides a Wi-Fi-compatible infrastructure. The e-JEST has 4-wheel independent suspension. Active and passive safety driving feature ranging from ESP to Hillholder.