MAPNA Group has put the first unit of its electric bus dubbed “Shetab” on test drive in Tehran.
The e-powered vehicle joined the capital city’s public transport fleet on Sunday, July 4, to pass the technical tests in the sprawling city.
Another unit of the Shetab bus was unveiled in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, in early June.
Shetab has been designed and manufactured by Parsan Electric Bus Production Company, a joint venture between MAPNA Group and Oghab Afshan Industrial and Manufacturing Company, which was set up in September 2020.
Parsan is planning to start the mass production of the green model in the near future.
The monocoque design of the body and chassis structure distinguishes Shetab electric bus from typical models. The low-deck bus has no steps and is built on a product lifecycle management platform (PLM), which allows several firms to work simultaneously on all technical processes, including detailed and master design, engineering, manufacturing, and project management.
It’s a smart vehicle with data center connectivity, energy recovery, quick charging, and a cutting-edge display system. The vehicle’s cooling system was created with Iran’s environment in mind.
The bus can travel 250 kilometers without HVAC system, and 200 kilometers while using the HVAC.
Shetab electric buses will be offered in a number of packages, each with a different battery capacity to fit the needs of each route.
The bus is equipped with a high-speed pantograph charging system, and can be charged by AC plugs.
The vehicle’s batteries can be fully charged in only 25 minutes with MAPNA’s own 600-kilowatt pantograph.
Over 60% of the Shetab electric bus is designed and manufactured domestically. MAPNA intends to achieve 100% indigenization by investing in parallel battery and engine development projects.
MAPNA Group has created a solid opportunity for the project to grow by employing professionals and university graduates in the sectors of electricity, electronics, power electronics, programming and software development, data analysis, intelligence, and system engineering.
The expansion of the research infrastructure will also help in the application of this technology to other modes of transportation, such as personal automobiles and semi-heavy and heavy commercial vehicles.
