Unlike the high price and large footprint of electric cars, electric motorcycles represent some of the smallest and most affordable electric vehicles on the planet. This is why many countries are abandoning the popular electric cars in favor of two-wheeled electric vehicles. While Europeans have embraced motorcycles and scooters as somewhat common alternatives to transportation, many Asian countries have long relied on two-wheeled vehicles as their primary mode of transportation of choice. Indonesia is one of them, and the country is now making a concerted effort to convert its large fleet of gasoline-powered motorcycles to electric ones. This includes putting 2 million electric motorcycles on the road by 2025.
Indonesian Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi recently set this ambitious goal for the country, according to the New Straits Times.
" The number of motorcycle users in Indonesia is about 133 million. There are about 5 million applications per year, and before the pandemic, the number even reached 10 million. The market is huge and this can be a game changer and accelerate the transformation."
He went on to explain that the increase in the number of electric motorcycles is not only good for the environment but can also help the country reduce its high fuel subsidies.
"We hope that this subsidy will decrease as the number of electric vehicle users increases. We can use the money from fuel subsidies to build this country."
Sumadi laid out three key requirements that, if met, could help jumpstart the switch to electric motorcycles. These requirements include ensuring the production of high-quality electric motorcycle batteries, increasing the number of charging stations or increasing the accessibility of battery exchange stations, and ensuring the quality of motors in electric motorcycles.
In many Asian countries that lack a widely distributed charging infrastructure, battery-swapped electric motorcycles are seen as a viable option.
Battery-swapping giant Gogoro announced last year that it was entering the Indonesian market thanks to a partnership with Gojek.
