Hyundai Motor clinches 1st electric bus supply deal to Japan

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's leading automaker, said Tuesday it has clinched its first commercial electric bus supply deal to Japan. The company said it signed a letter of intent for the sale of five electric bus units with Iwasaki Group, a transportation and tourism business operator based in Kagoshima Prefecture in southwestern Japan, in Tokyo last Thursday. Under the agreement, Hyundai plans to supply a total of five Elec City Town bus units by the first quarter of next year. It marked the first electric bus supply deal to Japan by the South Korean automotive giant. The Hyundai Motor buses will operate in Yakushima, a southern region in Japan designated as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. The electric bus is a medium-sized, low-floor model equipped with a 145 kWh battery and a high-efficiency motor. The Yakushima region features mountains over 1,000 meters above sea level where subtropical and subarctic environments coexist, creating a diverse plant ecosystem. The area is home to many valuabl e natural environments, including ancient cedar forests and wetlands. Source: Yonhap News Agency