Hyundai Motor Co., EV Car Struggles in Japan, Electricity Town Is a Winning Player
Apr 21, 2025
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Hyundai Motor held an 'Elect City Town Delivery Ceremony' with Iwasaki Group at the Iwasaki Hotel in Yakushima on the 21st and supplied five pollution-free electric buses, Electric City Town, to Tanegashima and Yakushima Transportation Co., Ltd., operated by Iwasaki Group.
Iwasaki Group is a company that operates transportation and tourism services in Kagoshima Prefecture.Earlier in July last year, Hyundai agreed to supply Electric City Town with Iwasaki Group, signaling its entry into the Japanese commercial electrification market following passenger.
About 80 officials from both companies and Yakushima attended the delivery ceremony, including Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Jang Jae-hoon, Hyundai Motor's Japanese subsidiary (HMJ) Chairman Toshiyuki Shimegi, Iwasaki Group CEO Yoshitaro Iwasaki, and Yakushima Chairman Araki Koji (町).
Jang Jae-hoon, vice chairman of Hyundai Motor, said, "A special environment such as Yakushima is a place where mobility solutions can show their true value. We want to show the world a model where the environment, technology, and local communities coexist."
Yoshitaro Iwasaki, president of Iwasaki Group, said, "We want to realize the balance between environmental preservation and revitalization of the local economy by using Electric City Town as the new standard for local transportation."
Yakushima is a 504km² island (about a quarter the size of Jeju Island) located at the southwest end of the Japanese archipelago, and is called the "Alps on the Sea" for its amazing natural scenery. As it is one of the world's most eco-friendly tourist destinations, it is an area where it is essential to suppress pollutant emissions to preserve nature.
Kagoshima Prefecture, which includes Yakushima, aims to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050 and plans to convert all vehicles on the island into zero-emission islands (zero-emission islands) to zero-emission vehicles such as electric vehicles.
Hyundai expects the supply of Electric City Town to support Yakushima's realization of carbon neutrality and further become a "mobility solution where the environment, technology, and local communities coexist."
In addition to reducing the cost of transporting fossil fuels to the island by reducing the number of internal combustion engine vehicles, it can also contribute to strengthening the foundation for regional economic independence by allowing locally produced electricity to be consumed locally.
In addition, Hyundai Motor believes that Electricity Town's V2H function (Vehicle to Home) will be of great help in resolving Black Out (Black Out, where all power is cut off) due to emergencies such as natural disasters.
On the 20th, the day before the delivery ceremony, Hyundai Motor also signed a "comprehensive linkage agreement for the use of electric vehicles in Yakushima" to provide power to shelters and medical facilities by utilizing Electric City Town's V2H function in disasters unique to the island, such as typhoons and heavy rains.
Through the linkage agreement, Hyundai Motor will not only establish route buses but also additional fast charging facilities that can be used by residents and tourists.
Electricity Town, which will operate in Yakushima, is a medium-sized, low-phase electric bus with a 9m electric field developed specifically for local conditions, equipped with a 145kWh battery and a high-efficiency motor with a maximum output of 160kW.
It also features a basic body posture control (VDC) for stable driving on mountain roads in island areas where steep slopes and sharp curves are connected, and optimizes charging efficiency and driving distance with high-efficiency battery management technology and cooling systems to cope with Yakushima's high-temperature and humid environment.
Electricity Town will be operated as a bus to Tanegashima Yakushima connecting Yakushima Airport, Miyanoura Port, and Shiratani Unsikyo Gorge from June.
"It is significant that Electricity Town can run on a route bus from Yakushima, which is selected as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site," a Hyundai Motor official said. "It will be a brand that contributes to the local community by strengthening its position as a leading brand of electrification and contributing to carbon reduction."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
