Industrial and tech sectors in Shiraz, the provincial center of Fars, have entered the race for electric vehicle development, hoping to curb air pollution and fuel consumption.
During a Tuesday event, the head of local automaker Khodro Sazan Jonoub Company, Siamak Hojjat, the head of Shiraz’s Industries, Mining and Trade Organization, Hamidreza Izadi, and Rouhollah Azizi, the head of Iranian Telecommunications Manufacturing Company, signed an agreement to produce an EV prototype, named Oxygen, by September, ISNA reported.
Based on its draft design, Oxygen will be equipped with an 8.6-kilowatt domestically-made battery and a control system that makes it suitable for plying in Iran’s arid and semi-arid landscape.
“The vehicle will be over 80% localized as the key electric components will be produced by ITMC,” Hojjat said, noting that the project is able to create thousands of direct jobs in Shiraz.
The trilateral agreement also envisages the production of electric motorcycles from the current year’s second half (Sept. 23), employing over 1,000 workers, he added.
Speaking at the same event, Izadi emphasized the need for upgrading the vehicles to curb fossil fuel pollution, stressing that the agreement is a small step toward achieving the goal, but small wise steps can solve big problems provided that the move is consistent.
Pointing to the experiences of ITMC in new technologies, he said the deal can later be extended to public transport vehicles and charging infrastructures not only in Shiras but in a nationwide scope.
Electric Vehicle Basics
During the past couple of years, the domestic engineering and energy giant, MAPNA Group, has been seriously working on establishing EV infrastructures and vehicles throughout the country.
The company is working on establishing EV charging stations in all Iranian provinces as a vital infrastructure for promoting zero emission vehicles.
According to MAPNA CEO Abbas Aliabadi, Mashhad is the second city to house an electric charging station following the pioneering launch in Tehran.
Iran’s first EV charging station was set up at Tehran’s Milad Tower in May 2019 by MAPNA.
Built over 700 square meters, the station includes a 43-kilovolt alternating current charger, plus a fast charger working under the CHAdeMO Protocol, a trade name of a quick charging method for electric vehicles, which suits Japanese and South Korean EV brands such as Kia, Nissan and Mitsubishi.
The station also includes a 4.7-kV slow charger and a 5.5-kV charger that can be used by electric motorcycles.
Aliabadi noted that the technology of producing electric vehicles is being taught in world universities for over 30 years now. He expressed his company's readiness to collaborate with car manufacturers and Tehran Taxi Organization to upgrade the country’s transport system with the help of EV technology.
“It is high time we invest in EVs," he declared, urging local carmakers to pay more attention to EVs.
Adding that the group has already started working on EV technology, Aliabadi said, “MAPNA has been working to bridge the technological gap, especially concerning the capacity of car batteries. Fortunately, noticeable progress has been made, but still more investment should be made in producing batteries.”
E-Buses
MAPNA also unveiled its first locally-produced electric bus in the shrine city of Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi Province, in June.
The company also added a prototype to Tehran’s urban fleet for a test run on Sunday.
Dubbed ‘Shetab’, the e-bus is designed and manufactured by Parsan Electric Bus Production Company, a joint venture between MAPNA and Oghab Afshan Industrial and Manufacturing Company.
According to Parsan Electric Bus Production Company, over 60% of the vehicle are designed and manufactured domestically.
MAPNA intends to achieve 100% indigenization by investing in parallel battery and engine development projects.
These electric buses will be offered in several forms, each with a different battery capacity to meet the demands of different routes.
The engineering group’s Electric and Control Engineering and Manufacturing Company set up a joint venture with Bam Khodro, a subsidiary of Kerman Motor Company, for the design and production of A- and B-class EVs in late May.
Reports say that in the first phase, the deal calls for the production of public electric vehicles.
The bus cabins, trimmings and mechanical parts will be made by Bam Khodro.
The associated firms will shortly release a prototype with a 15-kWh battery that will enable the bus to travel 100 kilometers at an average speed of 80 kilometers per hour.
The vehicles are managed by automated EV controller software that allows the drivers to open doors and control passenger fare payment and reservation.
Negotiations With IKCO
Last summer, EV production ambitions pushed MAPNA to join the major automaker Iran Khodro Company (IKCO).
After successfully testing 20 EV prototypes in June 2020, MAPNA joined hands with IKCO to mass produce electric vehicles for the first time.
According to Aliabadi, MAPNA hopes to boost Iran’s auto supply chain. “The simultaneous development of software and hardware is the basis of developing electric vehicles. The local production of all parts is high on MAPNA’s agenda. Although the work is still in the preliminary stage, we have made headways.”
Aliabadi underlined the necessity of making serious efforts for manufacturing electronic vehicles in Iran and emphasized that even if domestic automakers show reluctance, MAPNA will continue to tread the path it has embarked on.
