Learning From Thailand's Automotive Industry, Airlangga Said RI Strengthens Energy Mix And EV Ecosystems

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs (Menko) Airlangga Hartarto. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto revealed that the government will continue to develop the harmonization of the energy mix in the automotive sector to keep industries developing in the country.

Airlangga said, Indonesia needs to learn from the experience of the automotive industry in Thailand, especially in dealing with the transition from the internal combustion engine to electric vehicle (EV).

According to Airlangga, the change caused disruption, even two Japanese automotive factories in Thailand had to close.

Therefore, Indonesia must not be left behind and needs to immediately harmonize the energy mix in the automotive sector.

"In terms of industry, we learn from the automotive industry in Thailand. That is by shifting from the combustion engine industry to the electric industry, disruption occurs. So there are two factories there that are closed from Japan, so we must not miss to harmonize energy mix for automotive," he told the media crew, Friday, May 16.

As a biofuel producing country, he said that Indonesia has a great opportunity in developing environmentally friendly vehicles based on cleaner combustion engines.

"So those related to environmentally friendly vehicles based on combustion engines, we still have multiple source. One of course the hybrid ones, the second is of course the development of biosolars in the future, biodiesel, bioethanol we continue to encourage," he said.

Airlangga emphasized that this is a domestic economic force that supports the value chain of the national automotive industry.

In addition, he said, Indonesia also has important resource reserves such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese which are the main components in the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem so that the development of the EV ecosystem must be carried out in parallel and comprehensive manner.

"Another addition to cooperation with Australia is also in Morowali, there is an ecosystem rather than a battery cell EV ecosystem based on lithium. So Indonesia is one of the most complete manufacturers upstream than battery cells," he said.