Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Industry Ministry informed on Tuesday that it has so far distributed subsidies for the purchase of 30,083 electric motorcycles, accounting for 60.1 percent of the target of 50 thousand e-motorcycles for the 2024 budget year.

"The progress of the distribution of assistance for the purchase of electric motorcycles as of today has surpassed the total assistance distribution in 2023," the ministry's spokesperson, Febri Hendri Antoni Arif, highlighted here on Tuesday.

According to him, the ministry is aiming to achieve the target of subsidizing 50 thousand electric motorcycle purchases by August or early September 2024.

He said that since the subsidy quota has shrunk, people are being urged to buy electric motorcycles as soon as possible to get the subsidy.

Arif informed that from the start, his ministry has proposed that the subsidies for electric motorcycle purchases be given to all Indonesian citizens from various economic backgrounds.

The step is aimed at changing people's perception and behavior regarding the use of e-motorcycles.

"If electric motorcycles' sales are high and they are widely used by the public, then there will be a need for investment to provide charging stations, workshops, accessories, and other needs for electric motorcycles," he explained.

This, he said, could attract investment to build the supporting industries of the electric motorcycle ecosystem.

He informed that under the subsidy program, people can get a discount of Rp7 million (around US$435.36) on the purchase of an electric motorcycle.

As of mid-May 2024, the total number of electric vehicles in Indonesia, comprising two-wheeled vehicles, three-wheeled vehicles, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and buses, has reached 144,547 units.

Earlier, secretary general of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dadan Kusdiana, said that the Indonesian government has readied funding of US$455 million to provide subsidies for the purchase of electric motorcycles.

According to him, the subsidies will cover the sale of 800 thousand new electric motorcycles and the conversion of 200 thousand combustion motorcycles.

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