Dursun Cicek, General Manager of BELKA INC., We Use The Latest Technology In Electrical Conversion

“OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE A TECHNOLOGICAL BASE FOR OUR CAPITAL”

“BELKA BUS3E IS ONE OF THE ELECTRIC BUSES WITH THE BEST FUEL ECONOMY USED CURRENTLY”

Expressing that they use the latest technology in the conversion, Çiçek also draws attention to the fact that BELKA BUS3E is among the vehicles with the best fuel economy among the electric buses currently used.

Stating that the electric vehicle project started about two and a half years ago, Çiçek states that the project has been considered for four years, and that the Electric Bus Transformation Project was discussed after Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş appointed him as the General Manager of BELKA. Also sharing details about BELKA, Çiçek states that the biggest company of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality is BELKA Inc. and it has more than nine thousand employees. Stating that there are nearly three thousand construction equipment, trucks and passenger vehicles, Çiçek said that; “Our goal was to turn BELKA into a technology company with this period. Our Mayor also paved the way for us in this regard. The first project we targeted was the bus conversion. Two years ago, we bought an old 15-year-old diesel bus and turned it into a 100 percent electric vehicle. In February 2021, the Mayor made its launch, and then this project attracted great attention, especially in Europe. More than 30 countries contacted us directly and we are still in talks. All accreditation, ie homologation tests, in European standards have been performed, approved and documented. Our buses have been registered as 100% electric and have the authority to carry passengers. Six months after the launch, we signed our contract with EGO, the bus operator of our Metropolitan Municipality, and completed our first seven buses. We will start carrying passengers in a few weeks.”

“The Conversion Is Quite Cheap For A New Brand Electric Bus”

Cicek mentioned that as of 2025, European Union countries have signed a decision not to buy fossil fuel public transportation vehicles in their city centers, and states that this issue is very remarkable. Cicek, however, states that the price of electric buses is very expensive in today's technology and said that; “It does not seem very possible for all vehicles to turn into an environmentally friendly fuel in three or four years, both economically and in terms of production capacity. We started from here, conversion is cheaper than a brand new electric bus. Our buses are used for 15 years in the country and in various countries of the world and then they are scrapped. We make two kinds of gains by renewing the body of the old bus and making it 100% electric. First, the out-of-economic bus is reintroduced into the economy. Because the complete mechanical parts and chassis of the bus are overhauled and renewed. Secondly, we make a great contribution to the environment. In this sense, the bus was registered. We participated in the CFA, the Climate Finance Acceleration program project competition, which was started about a year ago and supported by the UK Ministry of Industry, and we were one of the five projects selected here. As a result of this competition, we have achieved 9 goals with this project, out of 17 goals set by the United Nations for Sustainable Development.”

“Our Goal Is A Technological Base For Our Capital”

Stating that the project was opened to financiers in London, with the participation of Mayor Mansur Yavaş, in the investor market held within the scope of CFA two months ago, and that it attracted great attention, especially in developed countries, Çiçek said that; “The transformation is huge. attracted an interest. It was very important that a converted bus was used instead of a new bus, and that this was documented and recorded in European standards. Our goal is to create a technological base for our capital.”

“Electric Bus Has A Great Advantage”

Stating that they talked about what would happen to the brand about seven or eight months ago and they decided on the name BUS3E, Çiçek draws attention to the fact that 3E in this name has a great meaning. Emphasizing that they explained the technical features of the bus in 3E, Çiçek said that; “Our first E is energy, namely fuel economy. At the moment, electric bus has a great advantage when you get the current electricity price with diesel or diesel fuel. For example, if a diesel bus burns 600 units when used under the same conditions, our converted electric bus burns 100 units. This is a huge advantage.” Adding that the current oil crisis will continue to grow and there will be other problems, Çiçek draws attention to the importance of electric vehicles at this point. Çiçek continued his words as follows: “Due to the fuel economy of the electric bus, the expenses spent for the conversion pay off in 2-3 years on average, depending on the annual range. Therefore, our second E also denotes being economical. Being economical is a transformation economy apart from fuel economy. Two and a half buses can be converted for the cost of one zero electric bus. The bus we transform is renewed in terms of mechanics, materials, welding technology and system. All the technology we use in the conversion to electric is state-of-the-art. The technical performance of our seven buses currently being built includes even superior technology compared to zero electric buses. Our third E, perhaps the most important one, is Environment, the green bus. However, although it does not seem very important for our country at the moment, it is especially important in Europe. The equivalent emission of carbon dioxide per kilometer of a diesel bus with the same features, in the same segment, in the same size and under the same road conditions is approximately 2400 grams of CO2 in diesel buses. 600 grams of CO2 in the zero electric bus, 300 grams of CO2 in the converted. The reason for the difference is the emission due to the production of a body again in the zero electric bus, and this includes the manufacturing stages and parts. Since there is no body production in our converted bus, this effect is only limited to the oscillation produced due to change or revised parts. This effect remains at the level of 5 percent of the emissions created by the production of a new bus. Therefore, the Converted Electric Bus conversion is also very advantageous from an environmental point of view. At the same time, the life of our bus is extended.”

“Average Range of 300 Kilometers”

Stating that the weight and passenger capacity of the old vehicle are preserved, and the charging time depends on the power of the charger, Çiçek adds that with a 60 kW charging system, overnight charging can be done in three and a half hours, and the full capacity is reached during this time. Emphasizing that the average range is 300 kilometers, Çiçek said that; “When we consider all kinds of adverse road, load and usage conditions, this period becomes 225 kilometers. However, 400 kilometers have been reached under ideal conditions. The average range of urban public transport does not exceed 200 kilometers in Ankara; In Istanbul, it approaches 300 on some routes. Therefore, the range of 300 kilometers we offer is quite sufficient. There are also some new energy gains in our bus. For example, the energy that we bring back to the battery system with regenerative braking, depending on the descent and ascent of the vehicle route, the energy consumed by the air conditioner in the summer months can be met in this way. BELKA BUS3E is one of the electric buses currently in use, with the best fuel economy due to the latest technology used.”

“There Is Demand From Abroad, Especially From Countries Like Germany”

Announcing that they have other projects after the approval of Mayor Mansur Yavaş, Çiçek draws attention to their plans for articulated buses. Expressing that there is a demand from abroad, especially from countries such as Germany, Çiçek said that; “We are planning a study on this. Also, this application is a modular work that can be applied to 8 meters and 24 meters busses. We took ownership of it. We also have an idea for a lower segment commercial vehicles. At this stage, we do not have any other business partners. This project was done with BELKA Inc's own resources and its own team. We have only worked with industrialists in Ankara, either as a sub-industry or as a stakeholder. Our BELKA BUS3E Electric Bus Conversion Project has been carried out entirely with the equities and human resources of BELKA, a subsidiary of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality. There are domestic and foreign applicants for the conversion from Diesel to Electric Bus and for the entire project. When we started working in BELKA, one of our main goals was to make Ankara a technological center because it is both the Capital and a university city. As BELKA, we are ready to put forth our best effort in the field of technology. Our environmental and energy-based projects we have realized, our supported European Union and TUBITAK projects, and our ongoing national and international initiatives have been an indicator of this. As a resident of Ankara, this is our duty.”