Hyundai Motor turns electric bus into mobile classroom for 1,300 Indonesian students

Hyundai Motor will convert an electric bus into a mobile classroom to deliver science and technology education to about 1,300 middle school students in Indonesia. The initiative is designed to bring hands-on learning about electric vehicles and energy directly to schools in underserved areas, with the goal of narrowing the educational gap between regions.

The company launched the mobile education project, called "Hyundai Universal Solution," at Hyundai Motorstudio Senayan Park in Jakarta on Wednesday (local time).

Hyundai Universal Solution is a corporate social responsibility program that uses mobility technology to support communities with limited access to essential services such as education, healthcare and welfare. The program focuses on improving service accessibility by deploying vehicles suited to the conditions of each country and region.

The first site is northern and eastern Jakarta. Hyundai Motor is partnering with Save the Children, an international children's rights NGO, to provide STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — education at 13 middle schools with relatively poor educational conditions.

About 1,300 students and 130 teachers are expected to take part. The project runs from this month through October next year.

A defining feature of the project is the use of the electric bus itself as the learning space. Hyundai Motor plans to fit the interior with tables, tablet computers and other educational equipment, then drive the bus directly to schools so students can experience up-to-date educational content.

The single electric bus serving as the mobile classroom is scheduled to visit each participating school every week, allowing schools that lack dedicated digital education facilities to still offer lessons on electric vehicle technology.

The curriculum is aligned with Indonesia's national education standards. Videos, games and hands-on learning kits will be used together to help students understand how electric vehicles work, as well as concepts related to batteries, energy and environmental issues.

The program also includes a participatory learning module built around the popular game Minecraft. Students complete tasks across 16 topics — including electric vehicle structure, charging infrastructure, air pollution and urban design — inside the game to learn related technologies.

Three animated videos explaining how electric vehicles work, along with card games, puzzles and model electric vehicles, will also be used in lessons. Rather than one-way lectures, the program emphasizes hands-on problem-solving and practical activities to boost student engagement.

Hyundai Motor also plans to support continued teaching after the bus visits end. Participating teachers will receive educational modules covering lesson delivery methods, how to use the teaching materials and suggested learning activities, enabling schools to carry on the instruction independently.

The Indonesian government has been pushing to build a digital education environment and expand STEM education, but uneven distribution of school facilities and digital equipment across regions has made it difficult to provide equal learning opportunities, observers note.

Through this project, Hyundai Motor aims to ensure students can access future mobility technology regardless of where they live, and to explore whether mobile educational facilities can serve as a practical tool for improving educational access.

The initiative is part of "Hyundai Continue," a global creating shared value program Hyundai Motor announced in January 2022. The company conducts social contribution activities in South Korea and abroad, centered on three areas: eco-friendliness, mobility and future generations.

"We want to offer new learning experiences to students who have not had sufficient opportunities to learn due to limited educational infrastructure," a Hyundai Motor official said. "We will continue to listen to the challenges facing diverse communities around the world and work to ensure more people can access essential social services through tailored mobility solutions."