Following similar announcements from Thailand and Singapore, Indonesia is now the latest country in the region to join in on the EV push. According to a report by Reuters, Indonesia’s energy minister Arifin Tasrif said that the country is aiming to sell only electric cars by 2050.
The plan doesn’t just include cars either; EV motorcycles will precede the 2050 target by 10 years, as the country seeks to reduce its carbon emissions across all facets. Indonesia announced earlier that it intends to become carbon-neutral, with all coal-powered power plants to be retired by 2056.
The move is in line with Indonesia’s plans of becoming a global EV production hub, taking advantage of the country’s rich supplies of nickel laterite ore used in lithium-ion batteries.
Just three weeks ago, LG Energy Solutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Indonesia’s Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) for the development of a new integrated battery cell plant in Bekasi, Indonesia, with a total investment worth USD9.8 billion planned.
Indonesia has long grappled with air pollution and traffic congestion problems, especially in its capital Jakarta, which consistently ranks among the region’s most polluted cities.
According to data published by the country’s Automotive Industries Association in 2019, the country had more than 15 million cars and 112 million motorcycles on its roads. The country sold on average 6.5 million motorcycles per year and about 1 million cars per year in the past decade.
