Turkish EV Company DMA Announces 3-Country License Deal, Mass Production Approaching
The Turkish company DMA — notable for having recently designed an electric vehicle (EV) capable of traveling 248 miles (400 kilometers) on a single charge — has signed a license agreement with 3 different countries for mass production of its EV, according to recent reports.
The company’s CEO, Önder Yol, commented on the deal by noting that, by licensing its technology outside of the country, it was “bringing foreign exchange to Turkey.” He also noted that he was expecting the Turkish government to offer some form of tax incentives (or something similar) to Turkish citizens to increase the adoption of the technology.
Considering that the primary intention behind the creation of the EV was the creation of electric taxis — which have a lot going for them, even as compared to other uses of EVs — the company seems to have succeeded pretty notably. The design has great range, good (and reportedly recently improved) charging speed, and a not too steep price tag.
While the price tag of TL 180,000 ($73,300) does seem pretty high at first, when you consider how rapidly taxi drivers can make up the difference between this model and conventional ones through saved fuel costs, it really doesn’t seem to be an issue. According to DMA, cab drivers can expect the EV to pay for itself in roughly two years, thanks to these saved fuel costs. Of course, cars typically last a lot more than two years.
The Daily Sabah provides more:
Yol also said that normal taxis spend about TL 150 per day, around TL 4,500 a month, while the electric only spends TL 10 to TL 12 a day and TL 300 a month in total, which means the car would pay for itself in two years. Yol added that oil and maintenance expenses also decrease since the car does not have a motor. Yol (also) noted that once they start production of 10,000 cars a year, the price will decrease toward the market average.
Another advantage of the electric car is the very low Special Consumption Tax (ÖTV) at 3% and the exemption from the Motor Vehicle Tax. Yol also said that the technology was spreading fast as the Municipality of London has announced that as of 2016, they will only issue licenses to cabs running on electricity.
Image Credit: DMA
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