Turkey’s first electric car finalizes Balkan tour

EDİRNE – Doğan News Agency

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Turkey’s first electric car, the Pehlivan Elektrak developed by Trakya University, has returned to the country after a two-week trip around the Balkan Peninsula. 

The fiber carbon car visited Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 14-day tour. 

The car was first tested by Customs and Trade Minister Bülent Tüfekçi in the northwestern city of Edirne, where Trakya University is based, before it went on its first international tour. 

As he welcomed the staff Yener Yörük, the rector of the university, said the tour had been initiated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

Pehlivan Elektrak Consultant Nilhan Taşkın said they were also working on a hybrid car which would use both solar power and electricity. 

Pehlivan Elektrak, which was named after the Turkish word for traditional wrestlers, had received a “best design” award by the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK). 

The car was developed by a team of 16 studying at the school’s engineering faculty. 

The 190-kilogram car can travel at up to 110 kilometers per hour and is energized by lithium batteries. 

The car can go up to 100 kilometers on a battery charge that costs 0.75 Turkish Liras.