Turkish electric bus manufacturer Karsan has won a tender to supply 42 battery-electric articulated buses for the Italian port city of Bari, the company said, strengthening its footprint in one of Europe’s growing zero-emission public transport markets.
The contract, launched under a Europe-wide tender in May, covers the delivery of 18-metre e-ATA 18 buses, which are scheduled to be handed over in June 2026. The vehicles will operate on Bari’s four planned high-frequency Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines, designed to provide fast and frequent public transport services across the city.
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The tender specified low-floor articulated buses with a length of between 18 and 18.75 metres and a minimum passenger capacity of 110. The electric buses are required to operate up to 20 hours per day, maintain an average speed of 18.5 km/h, and handle gradients of up to 5%. Technical requirements included a minimum battery capacity of 430 kWh, a range of at least 145 kilometres, and plug-in charging at no less than 100 kW, with charging points on both sides of the vehicle.
Karsan secured the contract in cooperation with its Italian distributor Kmobility, offering its e-ATA 18 model, which has been on the market since 2021 and can carry up to 135 passengers. The model is equipped with a 500 kW electric drivetrain and uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which can provide up to 662 kWh of capacity in their highest configuration. Karsan says the bus can achieve a maximum range of up to 450 kilometres, though it did not disclose which battery configuration was selected by Bari.
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Charging of the e-ATA 18 can be carried out at up to 300 kW on both sides of the vehicle, with a full charge taking around four hours and 20 minutes, according to the manufacturer.
“We took the first steps together in the transition to electric public transportation in the Italian city of Bari,” said Okan Baş, chief executive of Karsan. “We are delighted to be signing new contracts as a sign of the high satisfaction generated by our Karsan vehicles currently operating in the city.”
The new order builds on Karsan’s existing presence in Bari, where its electric buses have been in service since 2023. The company said it now has around 340 electric buses operating in 40 Italian cities, as Italian municipalities increasingly adopt battery-electric vehicles to decarbonise public transport.
