BUS2TALK: SHAPING THE FUTURE WITH KARSAN

Guest: Egemen Akgül, product engineering manager at Karsan

How are fuel cell and electric drives changing the transport sector? That is the question Kerstin Kube-Erkens and Totinia Hörner are discussing with Egemen Akgül, product engineering manager at Karsan, in the latest episode of BUS2Talk.

Established 57 years ago, the Turkish company with a workforce of over 2,500 has received international awards for its role in electrifying Europe’s infrastructure – eight times in 2022 alone. ”We want to spearhead the sustainable and eco-friendly transport revolution“, says Egemen Akgül.

The company recently made the bold move to take on the Japanese and North American markets in a bid to achieve further success. Akgül explains both the similarities and differences in the market preferences of individual countries: ”Regardless of how outstanding a vehicle may be, if it doesn’t satisfy local specifications and standards we can’t put it on the roads“, he says.

On the subject of European developments, Egemen Akgül talks about the need for collaboration between the private and public sector, and about ”the right regulations”, incentives and subsidies for speeding up the transition. He also highlights how the necessary infrastructure for fuel cells – in particular hydrogen production and storage – still lags behind the infrastructure for electric buses. Listen in to the latest episode, where you can also hear the five main arguments for Karsan’s approach to sustainability and why Egemen Akgül enjoys working in the bus industry so much.

A note for German-speaking listeners: this episode is only available in English.