Footage of an Osaka Metro driver and dash cam leading up to an EV Motors Japan Co. bus driving onto a median strip in Osaka on Sept. 1. This video is edited. (Provided by a related party)

Photo/Illutration The Chikugo city government in Fukuoka Prefecture previously used EV Motors Japan Co. buses before pulling them from service due to repeated malfunctions. (Provided by the Chikugo city government)

The transport ministry has ordered a full inspection of purchased EV Motors Japan Co. buses after a number of accidents and malfunctions with its electric-powered models built in China.

The problems include a number of Osaka Kansai Expo shuttle vehicles that have since been swapped out and school buses.

“The steering wheel didn’t work,” an Osaka Metro driver said during an investigation into a Sept. 1 incident where he lost control of an EV Motors Japan model that veered onto a median strip. 

The explanation the transit company received from EV Motors Japan stated that the right front wheel locked because the vehicle’s anti-skid system had activated.

Osaka Metro owns about 190 EV Motors Japan buses and is continuing its investigation to determine if the one that went rogue is defective; that bus was used for a reservation-based ride-share service and was not in service during the accident.

Based in Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, the startup is one of several domestic companies alongside Isuzu Motors Ltd. and Toyota Motor Corp. struggling to compete with other Asian brands—China's BYD Co. being the biggest with a 50 percent market share in the country.

It has sold hundreds of electric buses to various companies and local governments as well as the Osaka Kansai Expo since its founding in 2019. Assembly is outsourced to multiple Chinese manufacturers before being imported and sold at home. 

The Chikugo city government in Fukuoka Prefecture is among those who have experienced issues and chosen to suspend vehicle operations.

The city reported the four school buses it purchased have had repeated issues from the start of use in April. These range from stalling while idling at traffic lights to poor steering response and other headaches. 

The buses returned to the road in June after inspections, but another malfunction prompted the city to switch to other models from July. 

In an ironic reversal of this, an error warning appeared on a shuttle bus driver's screen while ferrying passengers between Shin-Osaka Station and the expo on June 6. No issues were found despite the bus pulling over for inspection. 

Like others, Osaka-based Hankyu Bus Co. replaced all EV Motors Japan buses and said it is “continuing to investigate the cause.”

These mishaps prompted the transport ministry to instruct EV Motors Japan to conduct a full inspection under the Road Transport Vehicle Law on Sept. 3.

During a news conference that followed a Cabinet meeting, transport minister Hiromasa Nakano said the ministry would monitor the situation and provide necessary guidance.

According to the ministry’s inspections and recall division, buses from EV Motors Japan are classified as parallel import cars because they are manufactured by foreign automakers and are not imported through an official dealership. Parallel import cars are not subject to the recall system.

However, if significant defects are found during inspections, the ministry may request to refrain from operations or order a recall.

In response to inquiries from The Asahi Shimbun, EV Motors Japan said it is “conducting a full inspection of all vehicles, with the entire company working to ensure safety as quickly as possible.”

However, it declined to provide details of the issues until after the inspections are complete.

As more bus companies pursue decarbonization, electric buses are gradually increasing on the roads.

According to the Automobile Inspection & Registration Information Association, the number of EV buses rose from 101 units at the end of March 2020 to 580 units at the close of March 2024.

(This article was written by Hiroki Okitsu and Kenta Iijima.)

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