Indonesia project to convert fuel-powered motorbikes to electricFILE PHOTO: Motorbike taxi drivers drive with backpack-style plastic partitions on to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 10, 2020, (Antara Foto/Galih Pradipta/via Reuters)JAKARTA: Indonesia on Wednesday launched a pilot project to convert motorcycles that run on combustion engines into electric-powered vehicles, part of a national drive to make transport more environmentally friendly, the energy ministry said. The project has successfully converted 10 such motorbikes and is aiming to convert 90 more by November, the ministry said in a statement. Under its national strategy, the government has set a target of having 13 million electric motorbikes - including converted ones - and 2.2 million electric cars on the roads by 2030. The government is also working on converting public buses that use fossil fuel into electric buses, a transport ministry official told the same event. The country also has ambitious plans of becoming a global hub for production of batteries and electric vehicles, to take advantage of its rich supplies of nickel laterite ore used in lithium batteries.

Source: Bangkok Post August 18, 2021 07:52 UTC