Local engineering company PT Arrtu Mega Energie has developed an electric bajaj (three-wheeled vehicle), named after an Indian brand of such vehicle, to replace orange-colored petrol-fueled bajaj and as an alternative to blue-colored compressed natural gas (CNG) bajaj.

The electric bajaj '€” given the name Batik, based on bajaj elektrik '€” can easily be refueled using household electricity and take up to five hours to charge, according to the company. Once fully charged, the bajaj can run for 150 kilometers, with an average speed of 60 kilometers per hour.

Arrtu introduced the electric bajaj to the city administration by bringing five of the vehicles to City Hall in Central Jakarta on Tuesday and taking Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama for a test ride around the City Hall complex.

Ahok said that the city administration was on board with the company'€™s plan to develop more electric bajaj to replace the iconic orange bajaj, which use two-stroke engines that have higher emissions.

'€œThe city administration already has plans to phase out the orange-colored bajaj. We have already started to change the orange bajaj to CNG-fueled bajaj. However, the CNG-fueled bajaj have been problematic because the city has a limited number of natural-gas filling stations,'€ Ahok told reporters at City Hall on Tuesday.

Currently there are fewer than two dozens CNG stations in Jakarta. Drivers of CNG-fueled bajaj must queue for hours before getting a turn to refill their vehicles.

After taking a test drive in the passenger seat of the electric bajaj, Ahok said that the ride was quick and quiet, and expressed his satisfaction with the locally made bajaj. Ahok went on to say that the city administration would help the company to obtain its type test and operational permit from the Transportation Ministry.

'€œAs soon as they get their permit, they can operate in Jakarta,'€ said the former East Belitung regent.

The Jakarta administration has for years has attempted to replace the noisy and polluting orange bajaj with more environmentally friendly bajaj. Before the blue CNG-fueled bajaj were introduced in 2006, former governor Sutiyoso unsuccessfully attempted in 2002 to replace the orange bajaj with Kancil, small four-wheeled cars developed locally by PT Kancil.

Meanwhile, according to Jakarta Transportation Agency land transportation head Emanuel Kristanto, there are currently a total of 14,424 bajaj in the city. Despite the city'€™s ongoing efforts to phase out the orange bajaj, so far only 6,000 of them have been replaced by the blue bajaj.

'€œThere are 14,424 bajaj in Jakarta. This number must stay the same. Therefore, if drivers want to lease or buy the electric bajaj, they must exchange them with their bajaj for us to wreck so that the number of bajaj does not increase,'€ Emanuel told reporters at City Hall.

Meanwhile, Arrtu president director Christoforus Richard said that the electric bajaj, produced entirely in Indonesia using Chinese machinery, would cost Rp 40 million (US$3,152) per unit. Orange bajaj and blue bajaj are more expensive as they are produced in India and imported.

He said that currently, Arrtu'€™s production capacity was only 10 units of electric bajaj per day.

'€œBajaj drivers can choose to buy or rent the bajaj. The bajaj will be sold for Rp 40 million per unit. If drivers want to lease the bajaj, they will pay setoran [rental-fee payments] to us of Rp 50,000 to Rp 75,000 a day,'€ Christoforus said at City Hall.

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