State-owned enterprise PT Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC) is gearing up to commence battery standardization in collaboration with three domestic electric motorcycle manufacturers: Gesits, Alva, and Volta. This transformative initiative is expected to kick off no later than early next year.
IBC, a battery manufacturing conglomerate in Indonesia, is jointly owned by MIND ID through PT Antam and Inalum, Pertamina, and PLN, each holding a 25% stake.
Fadli Rahman, Director of Strategic Planning and Business Development at Pertamina Power and New Renewable Energy (NRE), revealed that IBC will implement battery standardization in a phased approach. In the initial phase, IBC aims to unify the plug head models for battery charging across Gesits, Alva, and Volta motorcycles.
“We aspire to eventually have one battery that can be used for all, but it cannot happen overnight; there are stages. What has been agreed upon initially is the connectors,” stated Fadli on September 12, 2023.
Fadli emphasized Pertamina’s support for IBC to become the sole supplier for electric motorcycle battery supplies to Gesits, Alva, and Volta. These batteries will adhere to consistent standards, encompassing aspects such as volume, electrical power capacity, and battery weight.
“Ideally, there should be only one battery, but from what I’ve heard, the government is targeting two or three battery standards for electric motorcycles,” added Fadli.
Meanwhile, the National Standardization Agency (BSN) is actively working on standardizing electric vehicle batteries, as well as supporting infrastructure facilities like electrical systems, electric vehicle charging station connectors (SPKLU), and electric vehicle battery exchange stations (SPBKLU).
Toto Nugroho, Previously, the CEO of IBC, stated that their goal is to become the sole supplier for electric motorcycle battery supplies in the country. This initiative aims to establish an ecosystem for Battery Electric Vehicle Development (KBLBB), as mandated by Presidential Regulation No. 55 of 2019 on Accelerating the KBLBB Program for Road Transportation.
PT WIKA Industri Manufaktur (WIMA), the manufacturer of Gesits electric motorcycles, welcomed this agreement as an initial step to expand the adoption of electric motorcycles.
Bernardi Djumiril, CEO of WIMA, explained that the three motorcycle manufacturers, Gesits, Alva, and Volta, will eventually utilize batteries produced by IBC. He emphasized their commitment to establishing battery standardization, ensuring that these batteries can be used interchangeably across battery exchange and charging facilities.
This initiative marks a significant leap forward for the electric motorcycle industry in Indonesia, fostering collaboration among key players and promoting the widespread use of electric vehicles.
