To support the G20 electrification initiative and Indonesia’s goal to provide cleaner air for its citizens, Electrum has partnered with state-owned oil and gas holding company Pertamina as well as electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers Gogoro and Gesits for developing the country’s EV ecosystem.
Electrum, a joint venture between Gojek and TBS Energi Utama, aims to focus on building an integrated and holistic two-wheeled EV ecosystem in Indonesia. The collaboration between a private company and state-owned enteprise (SOE) aims to drive Indonesia to emerge as a leader in the global EV industry.
The collaboration’s launch event on Tuesday at the MT Haryono SPBU in Jakarta, which was officiated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, was marked by the appearance of the GoRide Electric on the Gojek application to commence the service’s commercial trial in the nation’s capital.
Jokowi emphasized Indonesia’s goal to achieve zero net emissions by 2060, saying that accelerating EV adoption was a surefire solution to achieving this target.
In his remarks at the event, President Jokowi expressed his appreciation for the bold move by Electrum, Pertamina, Gogoro and Gesits in collaborating to develop an EV ecosystem from the upstream to the downstream.
“The government is very serious about moving into new and renewable energy, including electric vehicles. Therefore, I truly appreciate the courage of [these] companies, entering from the upstream to the downstream, to start building an electric vehicle ecosystem,” the President said.
“We hope that [this is] in line with our target to achieve 29 percent carbon emissions by 2030, and by 2060 to achieve enter zero carbon emissions, or net zero carbon," he added.
Electrum is responsible for developing and integrating the EV ecosystem by leveraging Gojek's nationwide presence and TBS' expertise in the energy sector.
Meanwhile, Pertamina, through Pertamina Patra Niaga, is to provide EV battery swapping stations at its gas stations across South Jakarta. Gogoro will provide support by contributing its technological innovations in electric vehicle batteries (EVB) and battery swapping, while Gesits is to provide EVs and infrastructure.
Pandu Sjahrir, deputy president director of TBS and president director of Electrum, said that integrators, developers and catalysts were essential to building the EV ecosystem and in accelerating EV adoption.
“This is the role that Electrum is taking, as the Indonesian EV ecosystem is not well integrated yet. Through close synergy with SOEs and the private sector, we believe [EV] adoption can be accelerated,” said Pandu.
He added that Electrum would also ensure that the necessary infrastructure was readily accessible in order to encourage EV adoption.
Gojek CEO and Electrum director Kevin Aluwi said the collaboration would focus on promoting electric motorcycles, as motorcycles were more widespread than cars across the archipelago.
“With the commercial trial of electric motorcycles by Gojek’s driver partners, we can gain various insights from them as well as [their] passengers, or consumers, particularly on EV operations including driving experience, savings, and the ease of replacing batteries. We can then use these insights to form the basis for Electrum's future business plans," said Kevin.
Gojek, part of the GoTo Group, has made a zero emission commitment to become a carbon-neutral platform with a 100 percent electric fleet by 2030. Gojek's commitment is in line with one of the three G20 priorities for 2022, in particular the energy transition imitative. TBS, has made the same commitment and plans to transform into a green business with a focus on developing and investing in renewable energy and clean energy businesses.
Pertamina president director Nicke Widyawati said the oil and gas giant, through Pertamina Patra Niaga, remained committed to contributing and supporting government programs to accelerate the country’s energy transition, in particular by developing the EV ecosystem.
“The commercial trial with Electrum is already underway and Pertamina Patra Niaga will soon launch public EV battery swap stations [BSS] at Pertamina gas stations. In this initial phase, Pertamina Patra Niaga plans to run a commercial [trial] of the BSS in Jakarta at seven Green Energy Stations (GES)," she explained.
Muhammad Samyarto, president director of PT Wika Industri Manufaktur (WIMA), the maker of the Gesits electric motorcycle, noted that Indonesia was pushing forward its plan to shift to electric vehicles.
“We at Gesits believe that collaborating with Electrum and other stakeholders can accelerate the realization of our pledge to transition to sustainable energy use and usher society towards smart urban vehicles and highly efficient powertrains,” he said.
Founder and CEO Horace Luke of Gogoro, who also chairs its board, said the company had been collaborating with Gojek since 2021 on testing electric motorcycles in Jakarta as part of Gojek’s transition from a fuel-powered fleet to a fully electric fleet.
“With our technology and innovation, our expanded partnership with Electrum and the support from the Indonesian government can accelerate Indonesia's electric vehicle transformation," he said.
