Hyundai Motor makes first-ever delivery of electric buses in Japan

Hyundai Motor Co. said Monday it has delivered five electric buses to the transportation unit of Japan’s Iwasaki Group, marking its first commercial electric bus delivery in the neighboring country.

The South Korean automaker held a delivery ceremony for the Elec City Town buses with Iwasaki Group in Yakushima, Kagoshima Prefecture. The units were delivered to Tanegashima-Yakushima Kotsu Co. under the Japanese group.

The ceremony was attended by around 80 participants, including Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Chang Jae-hoon, Toshiyuki Shimegi, head of Hyundai Mobility Japan Co., and Iwasaki Group President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Yoshitaro Iwasaki.

Chang highlighted the significance of Yakushima’s environment for testing sustainable mobility solutions.

“Yakushima is the kind of special environment where the value of mobility solutions truly shines,” he said. “We hope to present a model of coexistence between environment, technology and the local community.”

Iwasaki expressed hope that the new electric buses would provide a new standard for the region’s transport system.

“We want to make the Elec City Town the new standard for local transportation and achieve a balance between environmental preservation and revitalization of the local economy,” he said.

Hyundai Motor signed a letter of intent with Iwasaki Group in July last year for the supply of the five medium-sized, low-floor Elec City Town electric buses.

Powered by a 145 kilowatt-hour battery (kWh) and a high-efficiency motor, the vehicles are suited to operate in the ecologically sensitive Yakushima region, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site known for its ancient cedar forests and diverse plant ecosystems, according to Hyundai Motor.

Kagoshima Prefecture has set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and plans to transform Yakushima into a zero emission island by transitioning vehicles on the island to electric or other carbon-free cars

On the previous day, Hyundai Motor signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with the local government to promote the use of EVs on the island. The agreement includes utilizing the vehicle-to-home function of the Elec City Town to supply power to evacuation centers and medical facilities during natural disaster emergencies.