Akia Automotive will build 50 battery-electric Ultra LF12EV solo buses for Istanbul under a contract with the IETT General Directorate, with manufacturing scheduled to begin in 2027 at the company's Bursa plant.

The order marks what the Turkish manufacturer calls "the first major tender for electric buses in Turkey." Akia, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Istanbul, announced the deal by email statement. Production will run out of the Bursa facility the company has operated since inception.

What is the Ultra LF12EV?

The LF12EV is a low-floor city bus built around a 240-kW electric motor and a 465 kWh battery pack. Akia rates passenger capacity at 80. A wheelchair ramp is integrated into the entry design, making the vehicle accessible for passengers with limited mobility.

Standard equipment includes:

• Driver assistance systems
• A digital camera system replacing conventional exterior mirrors
• Telematics software that streams battery status, energy consumption, and fleet performance data to operators in real time

Where will the buses run, and when?

IETT — the Istanbul Electric Tram and Tunnel Enterprises — runs the city's surface mass transit network, including the high-volume Metrobüs corridor that has historically anchored Turkish bus-procurement volumes. Akia said the major fleet rollout is planned for 2027. The company has not disclosed unit pricing, delivery cadence, or total contract value.

The Ultra LF12EV is not new to export. Akia has already shipped the model to Serbia and other international customers, though the company has not published volume figures for those overseas sales.

Why does this matter for Turkish e-mobility?

Akia's management framed the tender as a structural shift for the country's bus fleet. In the company's statement, the team concluded: "The project to procure 50 buses from AKIA represents a significant step in transitioning Turkey's public transport to electric propulsion and simultaneously contributes to the wider adoption of sustainable and eco-friendly mobility solutions in urban areas."

Turkish municipal fleets have historically run on CNG and diesel, with electric deployments limited to small pilot programs. A 50-unit order executed on schedule would represent one of the largest single electric-bus commitments by a Turkish municipal operator, and a reference point for IETT's wider zero-emission roadmap if the agency confirms one. The contract size and timing should be treated as an OEM claim pending confirmation against IETT's published procurement records.

What to watch next

• Akia Bursa delivery schedule through 2027, and whether 50 units ships in a single batch or across multiple production runs
• IETT operational data once the fleet enters revenue service, including daily mileage and energy consumption
• Any follow-on tender from IETT and how competing Turkish and European OEMs position against Akia on price and content
• Battery sourcing and local-content decisions, which Akia has not yet disclosed