JAKARTA: A bid to put two million electric motorcycles on the road by 2025 is part of the transition to reduce fossil fuel powered vehicles can be a game changer.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said this here on Tuesday, in expressing support to the transition process, according to reports in the Antara news agency.
"The number of motorcycle users in Indonesia is around 133 million. There are about five million requests coming in every year, while the number even reached 10 million before the pandemic.
"The market is huge, and this can become a game changer to accelerate the transition," Budi said adding many countries have agreed to reduce emission levels by 29 percent by 2030 and reach zero emissions by 2060.
The target can be achieved through synergy and collaboration among the government, universities, industry players, and the community, he said.
Three keys to achieving the transition are to ensure production of quality electric motorcycle battery, increasing the number of charging stations or prove easy access to battery swap stations and ensuring quality of the engine of electric vehicles, Budi added.
He said by increasing electric motorcycle users, it could benefit the environment and reduce fuel energy subsidies, which have reached 502 trillion rupiah.
"We hope that this subsidy will decrease along with the increasing number of electric vehicle users. We can use the money from fuel subsidies to build this nation," he said.
The government has encouraged the acceleration of the transition through regulations, research at universities, and industry players to carry out mass production of electric vehicles of good quality at more economical prices.
"We encourage the Type Test Registration Certificate (SRUT) for free to provide convenience. Currently, there are about 28 thousand SRUTs of electric vehicles that we have completed," he said.