Tofaş, co-owned equally by Koç Holding and
Fiat Group, has developed Fiat’s first electric light commercial vehicle,
reports Todays Zaman newspaper. Branded as the Doblò EV, the new vehicle can cover 150 kilometers on full
batteries and accelerates to 100 kilometers per hour in 9.6 seconds.
The Doblò EV's cargo
capacity is 750 kilograms. The vehicle's battery life is 10 years. Charging
takes 7 hours, but the batteries may be fully charged in 45 minutes using the
fast charge mode. Tofaş is planning to commence mass production of the model if it can attract
sufficient demand from the European market, in 2011.
Speaking to the press on Sunday, Tofaş CEO Ali Pandır said his company has
long been a center of research and development for certain Fiat models,
especially the light commercial vehicle segment. Pandır said in some European
countries, postal administrations and municipalities of older historic cities
have been keen to purchase environmentally friendly vehicles. The demand for
such vehicles is around 500 a year, he said, adding that this number is expected
to increase to 2,000 in the near future. Tofaş would like to capitalize on this
growing demand, Pandır stated.
The new Doblò model was a result of a proactive move taken by Tofaş before
demand by Fiat and government incentives for research and development, the CEO
noted. The company signed a deal with Fiat on the development of electric versions
of the Doblò and Fiorino models and also obtained incentives from the Scientific
and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), he said. The cost of
devising the prototype of the Doblò EV was 20 million euros.
Pandır further said the company had planned to sell the
Doblò EV to the US
market but that this is on hold due to some negative developments in market
conditions. However, the intention to supply US consumers with Doblò models is
still alive and may come about if it once again becomes feasible in the States.
Report courtesy of
Todays Zaman
