Electric Motorcycle Conversion Lacks Enthusiasm, Needs Large-Scale Strategy

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The discourse on converting petrol-fuelled motorcycles to electric motorcycles has resurfaced as one of the strategies to accelerate vehicle electrification in Indonesia.

However, amid various limitations, a question arises as to whether conversion is viable as the main strategy?

The conversion programme essentially offers a quick solution by utilising existing vehicles.

Spokesperson for the Indonesian Electric Bike/Motorcycle Community (KOSMIK), Hendro Sutono, assesses that the conversion policy needs to be viewed realistically in terms of effectiveness and scale.

“Public policy ultimately must consider efficiency, effectiveness, and scale suitability,” Hendro told Kompas.com on Wednesday (1/4/2026).

“Programmes that operate far below targets for several consecutive years need to be evaluated openly,” he said.

According to Hendro, conversion still has its place, but not as the main solution to a very large problem like electrifying millions of vehicles.

“However, to address the challenge of 120 million motorcycles in Indonesia, an approach is needed that can work on an equally large scale,” Hendro stated.

He added that experiences from the past few years show a gap between policy ambitions and field realities.

“The electric motorcycle conversion programme provides an important lesson that the scale of the problem must be answered with an equivalent scale of solution,” Hendro said.

Data shows that in 2023, conversions only reached around 145 units. That figure increased to around 1,500 units in 2024.

Although it appears to surge in percentage terms, the number is still very small compared to targets that once reached tens to hundreds of thousands of units.