Indonesia strives to convert motorbikes into EVs

Indonesia strives to convert motorbikes into EVs, illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com

Jakarta - The Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ministry of Indonesia is working hard to convert conventional motorbikes into electric vehicles (EVs) to achieve the target of net-zero emissions by 2060.

Director of the ministry’s Department of New and Renewable Energy, and Energy Conservation Gigih Adi Atmo was quoted by local media as saying that the ministry is planning to provide communities, especially those running machine shops, with training, in addition to conducting information dissemination activities.

According to the latest data, 26 machine shops have been registered as capable of conducting the conversion, he noted on the sidelines of the second round of the Electric Motorbike Conversion Programme Roadshow in Surabaya, East Java, on August 12.

The ministry has so far certified a total of eight machine shops that will partner with the ministry in executing the conversion efforts, he informed.

With the help of the eight machine shops, we aim to convert as many as 34,979 units of electric motorbikes per year, he affirmed. He expressed the hope that at least 50,000 motorbikes will be converted into EVs in Indonesia in 2023 and 150,000 in next year.

Atmo further elaborated that the ministry is striving to spread information about bike conversion with a special focus on East Java, since it is home to 20.7 million motorbikes, making it the province with the highest number of motorbikes in Indonesia.

Currently, the Indonesian government is making efforts to reduce the number of two-wheeled fossil fuel-based vehicles, whose population has reached 120 million units. In fact, the number is growing at the rate of 5-6% per year, he stressed.

He said he hopes that the dissemination efforts in East Java will raise public awareness of the importance of reducing carbon emissions and taking part in efforts to create a clean environment by converting their motorbikes into EVs.

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