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Hyundai electric buses to run on Japan's ecologically sensitive Yakushima Island

Published: 21 Apr. 2025, 17:59 Updated: 21 Apr. 2025, 19:32

KIM JU-YEON
[email protected]

Hyundai Motor and Iwasaki Group executives, along with Yakushima authorities, pose for a photo at the handover ceremony of Hyundai's Elec City Town electric buses on April 21 at the Yakushima Iwasaki Hotel. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Five Hyundai Motor electric buses will run from June on Japan's Yakushima Island, where part of the island has been designated a World Natural Heritage site by Unesco for its unique ecosystem.

Hyundai signed the supply deal with Japanese tourism service company Iwasaki Group in July of last year, marking Hyundai’s entry into Japan’s commercial EV market.

The automaker supplied the buses, named Elec City Town, to Iwasaki Group on Monday in a ceremony at the Yakushima Iwasaki Hotel, according to Hyundai. The units were delivered to Tanegashima-Yakushima Kotsu, a transportation company under the Japanese group.

Around 80 people, including Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chang Jae-hoon, Hyundai Mobility Japan head Toshiyuki Shimegi, Iwasaki Group President and CEO Yoshitaro Iwasaki and town mayor Koji Araki, were present at the Monday ceremony, according to Hyundai.

“Yakushima is exactly the kind of unique environment where mobility solutions can truly shine,” said Chang in a congratulatory speech for the event, emphasizing Hyundai and the Yakushima government’s common aim to exemplify the co-existence between nature, technology and the local community.

Elec City Town will run on a route connecting Yakushima Airport, Miyanoura Port and Shiratani Unsuikyo Gorge from June.

The mid-size, low-floor buses are specially designed to run on the island’s terrain and withstand its subtropical weather and geographical conditions, according to Hyundai.

Hyundai further signed a deal with the Yakushima government on Sunday to use Elec City Town’s vehicle-to-home (V2H) function to supply power to evacuation centers and medical facilities when disasters, such as typhoons or heavy rain, strike the island. The Korean automaker expects the V2H function to serve as a potential power source for buildings during blackouts.

Hyundai also plans to install power charging stations that island residents and tourists can use through future agreements.

Kagoshima Prefecture, where Yakushima is located, has set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and plans to replace all vehicles on the island with electric or other zero-emission vehicles.

“As a firm leading the way in electrification, we aim to strengthen our market position while contributing to carbon reduction and becoming a brand that supports the local community,” a spokesperson for Hyundai said.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]