Government Targets Converting 150,000 Electric Motor Units By 2024

JAKARTA - The government has accelerated the conversion program of oil-fueled motors (BBM) into electric motorcycles with a target of 50,000 units by 2023 and 150,000 units by 2024.

Head of the Center for Electricity Survey and Testing, New Renewable Energy, and Energy Conservation (BBSP KEBTKE) of the Directorate General of New Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Senda Hurmuzan Kanan, said the government continues to strive so that the conversion program of electric motors can attract the public's interest widely.

According to him, the long-term strategy for people to be interested in converting electric motorcycles is to find investors who provide exchanges for electric motorcycle batteries.

The battery swab at the public electric vehicle battery exchange station (SPBKLU) is one of the government's breakthroughs to prepare the infrastructure for accelerating the conversion of electric motors.

"Because batteries are expensive, which in electric vehicles up to 40-50 percent of vehicle costs, we are looking for investors to become battery swap operators and investors. With this battery swap investor, electric motors don't need to buy batteries, just exchange them," he explained.

Senda explained that the innovation that had been carried out by PT PLN (Persero) for electric motor vehicles would be a step for the government to accelerate the policy.

"If the battery runs out, just come to the 'fuel pump' to exchange batteries. In the future, the conversion costs carried out by the community will be cheaper. As PLN does, people come with subsidies from the government and there are battery swap investors, so people are interested in converting," he added.

In addition, Senda explained that several other acceleration efforts were to issue supporting regulations, namely the Regulation of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Number 3 of 2023 concerning General Guidelines for Government Assistance in the Motorcycle Conversion Program by Motorbike Driving to Battery-Based Electric Motorcycles.

"Every program launched by the government, we immediately run a trial of the conversion program. So far, several improvements have been made in terms of regulations and to support the conversion program of electric motors have been issued by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation Number 3 of 2023," he explained.

In addition to regulations, the government also provided assistance for discounts on the cost of converting electric motorcycles of Rp. 7 million per motorbike.

The government assistance was provided by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to a conversion workshop based on the results of the KEBTKE BSP verification.

Currently, 24 units of the Ministry of Transportation's certified conversion workshop are available.

Expert Staff of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources for Electricity, Sripeni Inten Cahyani, added that the Instruction of the President of the Republic of Indonesia Number 7 of 2022 concerning the Use of Battery-Based Electric Motor Vehicles as Operational Vehicles and/or Individual Vehicles of the Central and Regional Government Agencies Service, also supports the acceleration of the target of converting electric motors.

"The government has committed that 50,000 motorbikes will be converted to electricity in 2023 and 150,000 in 2024, so this program must be successful. In the future, batteries will go to battery swaps. In addition, there is also Presidential Instruction Number 7 of 2022, namely mandatory to ministries/agencies as well as local governments. From the government side, we have regulated regulations, we ask business actors to also want to support this program," he said.

The conversion of electric vehicles is one of the government's efforts to accelerate the realization of the battery-based electric motor vehicle (KBLBB) ecosystem, which can provide savings for consumers and also the government.

The benefits of the conversion program of electric motors for the community, especially fuel and air cost savings, are cleaner.