Visiingt the HLI Green Power Electric Car Battery Factory in Karawang, Jokowi: It Is the largest in Southeast Asia

President Joko Widodo. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that the PT Hyundai LG Industry (HLI) Green Power electric car battery factory is ready to produce 30 million battery cells in early 2024.

Jokowi conveyed this after directly inspecting the factory in Karawang Regency, West Java Province, on Thursday, September 14.

Minister of Investment/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia also accompanied Jokowi.

Jokowi said that the electric car battery factory was the first and largest battery cell factory in Southeast Asia.

"Earlier, PT HLI Green Power, starting at the beginning of the year (2024), will have produced 30 million battery cells which will be able to be used to produce approximately 180,000 cars, which is the largest in Southeast Asia. "The first in Southeast Asia and the largest in Southeast Asia at the moment," said Jokowi as quoted from a press release from the Presidential Secretariat, Thursday, September 14.

The former Governor of DKI Jakarta said that the factory was part of the development of a large electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem that was being promoted by the government in the country.

By building this large ecosystem, continued Jokowi, it is hoped that Indonesia can enter the global supply chain for electric vehicles.

"We can enter the global supply chain, that's where other countries' dependence on our cell batteries will be, other countries' dependence on our EV batteries will be there," said Jokowi.

Meanwhile, Minister of Investment/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia said that the factory had started conducting production trials since the groundbreaking was carried out exactly two years ago.

"Thank God, two years ago, to be precise today, we broke ground on the construction of car batteries, battery cells, and two years later this was ready. "Now the product is there, now there is a trail and error going on, maybe it will be in production in March next year," said Bahlil.

Bahlil said, the factory has implemented the latest technology from LG in its production.

Of LG's five factories in the world, the factory that uses the latest technology is the factory in Indonesia.

Bahlil explained that President Jokowi's visit was carried out to inspect the second phase of the factory's production expansion of 20 GWh.

If the factory is built, said Bahlil, its production capacity will be 30 GWh.

"This is the President's dream, which he always directs to us ministers to build downstreaming. "So what the President has said so far, it's not just talk but this is real evidence," he said.

“And this really uses high technology. "And later we will operate Indonesian children because we have sent them – more than 100 people – to Korea for them to study there," he explained.

photo: screenshot of President Joko Widodo's Instagram