When Prabowo Pushes EV Adoption to Japanese Manufacturers in Tokyo

The Indonesian government is increasingly promoting the use of Electric Vehicles (EVs) as the primary solution to reduce carbon emissions and improve national energy efficiency. Various policies have been designed to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles among the public. Tax incentives and purchase subsidies for battery-based vehicles are among the attractions offered. Infrastructure for Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (SPKLU) is also being continuously prepared as new entrants from automotive brands bring their electric vehicle products to the market. Currently, manufacturers from China are seen to dominate the electric vehicle market in Indonesia. The image of electric cars, previously known as luxury and expensive vehicles, has now shifted to affordable options for all levels of society. Sales figures are dominated by electric cars produced by Chinese manufacturers. This is because there is not yet a single Japanese-made automotive product that is seriously marketing pure electric vehicles. The massive push for electric vehicle use was also emphasised by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, in his speech at the Indonesia-Japan Business Forum. “We want to expand all efforts in this sector, so that is why we will move massively towards electric vehicles and electric motorcycles,” he said, quoted from the official statement of the Ministry of State Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia, on Monday (31/3/2026). Prabowo mentioned that there are currently 114 million motorcycles still using petrol in the country.