Indonesian government to conduct electric motorcycle trial in Bali

The Indonesian government has announced that Bali will be the site of an upcoming trial run of electric motorcycles that will help determine national policy on the environmentally-friendly machines as the country revs up its ambitions to become a major manufacturer of electric vehicles. 

Harjanto, director-general for industry, metals, machinery, transportation and electronics at the Ministry of Industry, said that Bali as well as Bandung, West Java, will serve as locations for the pilot project, according to an official statement issued yesterday. 

For the project, the ministry is working in cooperation with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), which has the goal of speeding up the use and development of electric vehicles in Indonesia. 

“This electric vehicle demo project aims to not only introduce electric vehicles but also to boost the growth of electric vehicle manufacturing within the country,” Harjanto was quoted as saying. 

For the project, the Industry Ministry will work closely with ride-hailing firms Go-jek and Grab Indonesia, Harjanto added, as they have millions of active users and thousands of driver-partners across the archipelago.

The trial run will be carried out through a rental scheme for businesses and consumers involving 300 units of electric motorbikes, 1,000 battery units, 40 Battery Exchanger (BEx) stations and 4 electric cars. 

As reported by CNN Indonesia, the electric motorbikes will be Honda PCX Electric and they will be rented at a rate of IDR 2 million (USD 140) per month.

According to Harjanto, the results of the trial will help the government establish its policy for electric vehicles in the country. 

The project looks like it will sync up well with Bali provincial government’s own plans to issue a gubernatorial regulation aimed at regulating electric cars and motorcycles. There’s not many details as of yet about that regulation, but Bali Governor Wayan Koster said it’s part of an effort “to ensure a clean Bali.” 

Indeed, the central government’s own ambition to become a leader in electric vehicles is also part of its ongoing commitment to reduce emissions. Indonesia, as one of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters, pledged in 2015 that it will cut emissions by 29 percent in 2030.