Accelerating Electric Motorcycles: The Importance of a Strong Ecosystem in Indonesia

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Efforts to accelerate the electrification of two-wheeled vehicles in Indonesia continue to face field dynamics. One emerging issue is the government’s desire to promote the conversion of 120 million electric motorbikes. This is because the widespread promotion of electric motorbike conversions is feared to impact the new electric motorbike industry. Conceptually, the two indeed stem from different approaches. The conversion programme is aimed at transforming fuel-powered motorbikes into electric ones, while new electric motorbikes are products designed from the outset with electrification technology. Chief Marketing Officer Alva Putu Swaditya Yudha stated that his company views the electric motorbike conversion programme as part of the government’s efforts to accelerate the national energy transition and respects the grand objectives behind it. “This conversion also needs to be viewed in a broader context, namely accelerating the transition towards a comprehensive electric vehicle ecosystem that includes cars, commercial vehicles, and electric motorbikes, so that its impact is more significant,” said Adit, when contacted by Kompas.com recently. According to Adit, as a national electric motorbike producer, Alva is ready to support Indonesia’s electrification comprehensively. Alva’s factory in Cikarang has been certified with INDI 4.0 by the Ministry of Industry, with standardised manufacturing capacity ready to meet national-scale demand. “Our product line, namely Alva One, Alva Cervo, to Alva N3 Next Gen, has been designed to meet the needs of various consumer segments as daily main vehicles, with TKDN above 40% as proof of commitment to the domestic industry,” he said. Yannes Martinus Pasaribu, an automotive expert from Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), stated that it is true that theoretically, conversions and new electric motorbikes indeed start from different segments. “Conversions are closer to a pro-people approach because they utilise existing assets, whereas new electric motorbikes are more related to industry building and manufacturing scale,” said Yannes. Nevertheless, the reality in the field is not as simple as that division.