Top image: Photo: NFarras for Transport for Bandung, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The photo shows a Hyundai County Electric in West Java, the model supplied to Bali.
Bali has put 11 Korean-funded electric buses on show, and a day later its governor asked South Korea to help with a bigger task: converting petrol vehicles to electric without the owners paying for it.
The buses and six charging units were handed to the provincial government on Thursday 22 October at Niti Mandala Renon in Denpasar, Kompas reported. The grant comes through the Bali E-Mobility project, a partnership between South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, Indonesia’s national planning ministry (Bappenas) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).
Korean chassis, Indonesian bodies
According to a Hyundai Motor statement carried by CleanTechnica, the vehicles are Hyundai County EV mid-size buses: 8 metres long, 20 seats, a 128 kWh battery and a claimed range of more than 200 km per charge. Hyundai supplied the electric platforms and the bodies were built by Indonesian coachbuilder Laksana. GGGI ran the supply tender in the second half of 2025, after the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding that year.
Governor I Wayan Koster said the buses meet Indonesia’s local-content (TKDN) requirements because the bodywork was made in the country, and that he had chosen a black, red and white livery referencing Tri Datu, a symbol closely tied to Balinese culture. When the grant was first announced in April 2025, The Bali Sun reported a figure of 10 buses and said Bali had asked for 8-metre vehicles to suit its narrow roads; the fleet delivered this week numbers 11.
Hyundai said it will run a field quality-assurance programme during the initial deployment. Neither Kompas nor Hyundai’s statement set out the routes the buses will serve.
“Studies in Bali show more than 90 percent of air pollution comes from fossil-fuelled power generation and transport.” — Governor I Wayan Koster, to Kompas (translated from Indonesian)
Free conversions: an aim, not yet a programme
On Friday 23 October Koster met South Korea’s ambassador to Indonesia, Yoon Soon-gu, at the governor’s residence in Denpasar. Kompas reported that he said the province needs third-party partners willing to convert conventional vehicles to battery power without placing a cost on owners, with cooperation sought on technology, investment and charging infrastructure.
The talks also covered clean energy, public transport, digital technology, artificial intelligence, waste management and smart-city projects. Yoon pointed to South Korea’s 2050 carbon-neutrality target and offered to put Bali in touch with relevant Korean parties. No company, budget, vehicle type or timetable for a conversion scheme was announced.
Bali’s EV policy dates back to Governor Regulation 48 of 2019 on battery electric vehicles, which Koster said was held back by the Covid-19 pandemic. He also said the central government has allocated 1,000 MW of solar capacity for Jembrana and Gilimanuk in west Bali, which is still going through permits and is expected to start in 2027.
What it means for buyers and riders
- Do not wait for a free conversion. There is no scheme to apply for yet, only a stated goal. If you are weighing a conversion now, our guide to converting a petrol motorbike to electric sets out the current costs and rules.
- Bali’s charging base is growing. The island already had more than 17,700 EVs on the road earlier this month, as we reported, and PLN is rolling out battery-swap stations for work vehicles.
- Electric public transport is still small. Eleven buses are a pilot rather than a network; watch for route announcements before planning around them.
The grant comes in the same week that the electric vehicle association Periklindo called for EV incentives to be extended to electric buses and trucks.
Sources: Kompas.com (Denpasar), 23 Oct 2026, bus grant; Kompas.com (Denpasar), 23 Oct 2026, conversion talks; CleanTechnica / Hyundai Motor, 22 Oct 2026; The Bali Sun, April 2025.