The electric vehicle market in Turkey is growing rapidly. So much so that Turkey is advancing much faster than many countries in the world in this regard. However, it is not possible to think of electric vehicles independently of many headings from the energy sector to infrastructure production and charging stations. A serious statement on the subject came from an expert in the field. Uğur Toptaş, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Toptaş Holding, which includes Bakırsan, one of the largest suppliers of copper, the basic content of giant cables in the charging systems of electric vehicles, in Turkey, drew attention to the significant disruptions that will occur in the electric vehicle market. Reminding that electric vehicle charging stations were preparing to transition to the second generation, Toptaş stated that the situation changed after the explosion of pagers and the explosion of radio devices the next day, and that the “remote controllability” situation was a real threat and that this was the deficit of the electric vehicle market.
Uğur Toptaş, who drew attention to the fact that they are one of the main actors in the production of cables needed by the energy sector, said, “In other words, we can say that the cable of energy passes through us as raw material. Electric vehicles have become a trend and currently these electric vehicles also have charging stations. There have been R&D studies for a while now for the search for a new generation charging station. We supply companies with a special type of enriched copper.” The other day, at least 9 people died and nearly 3 thousand people were injured when the pagers used by Hezbollah to communicate exploded in Lebanon. Yesterday, the radios used by Hezbollah were detonated using a remote access method, causing 14 people to die and more than 500 people to be injured. Reminding that a similar situation is valid for the electric vehicle market, Toptaş said, “Some brands have made decisions and suspended their work in electric vehicles.”
WHY WERE ELECTRIC VEHICLE STUDIES SUSPENDED?
Uğur Toptaş, who also explained the reason for the suspension of the studies, said, “Many companies have decided to stop their research and development due to the frequency of users applying to the hospital with headache complaints due to the magnetic field it emits. Since electric vehicles were a very high trend until 2 months ago, charging stations were trying to switch to the new generation, that is, the second generation. However, after the pager incident, it is frankly unclear where the situation will go.”
'I BELIEVE THAT THE CHARGING STATION WORKS WILL ALSO BE STOPPED'
Stating that the logistics part of energy is solved with copper and that no other metal can be an alternative, Toptaş Holding Board Chairman Uğur Toptaş said, “More precisely, optimal cost and optimal energy saving can be achieved with copper. In addition, copper is used because it has optimal conductivity.” Stating that the main discussion and research topic of electric vehicle manufacturers is new generation charging stations, Toptaş said, “If we were talking two days ago, I would have more positive thoughts about this. I believe that the R&D studies on electric vehicles and these charging stations will be stopped right now. There are two reasons. The main reason is the headaches and other health problems they cause in users. Health comes first here. Neither the economics of the vehicle nor any other feature of the vehicle is less important. On the other hand, there is also the threat that electric vehicles may be controlled in a different way. Therefore, I believe that interest and preference will decrease in electric vehicles.”
TOPTAŞ: USA IS COLLECTING MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES
Uğur Toptaş, who also drew attention to the fact that technology wars have moved to a completely different phase as of 2024, said that the United States of America (USA) is collecting manual transmission vehicles from around the world and that this is a trailer of how hot the technology wars will become. Toptaş said, “This practice of the US has been activated especially after the solar flare in March 2024. The practice is still ongoing. It is important to read this and evaluate what will happen in the future in this parallel.”
TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION IN TURKEY: DARK FACTORIES ARE COMING!
Uğur Toptaş, who stated that there were also important developments in Turkey’s copper production, said, “Copper production facilities are now evolving into a new generation. Dark factories are starting to be established. There is even one facility that will start operating in about 6 months. I can say that it is a technological revolution for Turkey. We are worried about how successful they will be in these as well, because it will be a first in Turkey. Our sector and industry need to integrate with technology and solve the dark factory issue as soon as possible.” Uğur Toptaş explained the working logic of dark factories as follows:
“There are robotic equipment that normally does the work that the workers and personnel inside do. For example, if the material arrives, we will take it, process it and bring it to a point, for the stages it will go through, the material will be taken from one place and lowered to another place by automatic equipment. On the other hand, the product that comes out while being processed will be separated from the molds, thrown away, transferred to the other side… This is a situation where only 60-70 people as operators will do the work that used to be done by 4-5 people. Of course, it is a disadvantage when considered in terms of employment, but there are many sectors, many professions. This will not be a permanent problem. We support it because it is an operation that will ease the people in retail by reducing costs.”
'IT EVEN REDUCES HOUSING PRICES'
Arguing that these developments in the industry will even affect housing prices, Toptaş said, “I think technological development is always beneficial for humanity. It is also beneficial in terms of cost. It needs to continue this way.”
TURKEY'S GIANT CONSUMPTION ITEM: COPPER
Emphasizing that Turkey’s copper consumption volume is 500 thousand tons per year, Bakırsan Bakır Sanayi founder Uğur Toptaş said, “We obtain some of this copper from ore, but a small part… We import the rest from the world. Investments in these techniques were very weak until these years. They have started to be made, but state incentives need to be increased. We have serious potential. Our underground mines are very rich in this regard. Only investment costs are very high. But we are currently a good actor in the world in terms of production.”
'THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR INCREASED TURKEY'S IMPORTANCE'
Stating that 30 percent of the world's copper is produced by Russia and distributed to the world from there, Toptaş said, “As you know, we have already become a partner of Russia due to the Russia-Ukraine War. Their copper is generally used by Turkey. It is processed here and exported from here. Therefore, we can say that Turkey's importance has increased from 3 to 6, 7, 10 at this point. Of course, war is a sad event. Of course, we want this war to end as soon as possible and for these problems to be eliminated. Because although this war seems regional there, it is no longer a controlled regional war. The actors in the world are there, other countries are there that are involved in the issue. We hope that these will be resolved and the world will go to peace as soon as possible. However, this war has also shown us the value of Turkey in industrial production.”
