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TOGG CEO Gurcan Karakaş responded to the question, "Do you have any plans to take TOGG outside of Turkiye?" by saying, "Here, you are definitely going to the heart of the automotive industry, which is Europe, and we are planning this for next year." Karakaş said, "What happened with the mobile phone turning into a smartphone is happening to the car right now. They are getting smarter. They are turning into a more complex device."

However, in his answer: "Although there is a bit of a question mark in Europe's progress rates, we definitely believe in key mobility, especially because our country is in the renewable energy mix in Europe. Being one of the top countries in this regard gives us the energy and courage to be one of the leaders," Gurcan added.

The World Road Congress, held every four years by the Geneva-based International Road Federation (IRF), started this year at the Istanbul Congress Center with the theme "Connecting to Power Mobility: Roads as Enablers of a Sustainable Future for All".

Following the opening speeches of the congress, TOGG CEO Karakaş, UN Economic Commission for Europe Deputy Secretary General Dmitry Mariyasin, International Transport Forum Secretary General Young Tae Kim, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Senior Transport Advisor Elizabeth Jones, and European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice President Robert de Groot attended the panel.

Karakaş stated in his speech at the panel that mobility is an important part of human life and that most of the mobility takes place on the roads.

Referring to the challenges, Karakaş emphasized that the challenges are diverse, and explained that this first started with electrification and range anxiety.

Karakaş said, "So, do I have enough mileage? Do I have enough battery energy? For example, is there enough infrastructure for charging stations? I think this is being overcome every day. It is getting better. Let me give you an example from Turkey, Turkey has established a huge network in 1.5-2 years. We have established more than 700 ultra-fast charging stations with our own company. In areas with heavy traffic, we have almost one charge every 25 kilometers and in less dense areas, we have at least one charge every 58 kilometers."

Drawing attention to the difficulties in the sector, Karakaş stated that the entire sector is in a state of transformation and noted the following:

"What happened with the mobile phone turning into a smartphone is now happening to the car. They are getting smarter and smarter. They are becoming more and more complex devices. On the other hand, digitalization is everywhere. We have become accustomed to this comfort of life with two clicks and I would say everything is either on our smartphone or in our car. Digitalization is transforming our living spaces from a space that is interrupted to a space that is constantly alive.

"The smart car itself plays an important role here because we don't want to be disrupted. We want to have our living space in this vehicle. We have a solution for all infrastructures with sustainability and decarbonization, renewable energy, clean energy solution, and that's where we're all trying to solve on one side, and many are still struggling to solve on the other side. These are the challenges."

"We are going to the heart of the automotive industry, Europe, and we are planning this for next year"

Gürcan Karakaş touched upon the importance of cooperation between the public and private sectors, saying that electrification and the mobility ecosystem around it are full of disruptive innovations.

Karakaş said, "If there are disruptive innovations, there are no standards. It is difficult, I know, but there should at least be a framework and this framework can be prioritized. With incentives, R&D incentives, companies, universities, ministries, it can be focused on the efficient use of the country's and company's resources first and foremost."

In response to the moderator's question, "Do you have any plans to take TOGG out of Turkey?", Karakaş said the following:

"Here, you are definitely going to the heart of the automotive industry, which is Europe, and we are planning that for next year. We definitely believe that Europe is the key driver, especially because our country is in the renewable energy mix in Europe, even though there are a little bit more question marks in terms of the pace of progress at the moment. Being one of the top countries in this regard gives us the energy and courage to be one of the leaders."

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