Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government is accelerating the program to convert gasoline-powered motorcycles into electric models, with a target of 50 thousand units in 2023 and 150 thousand units in 2024.

Head of the Center for Survey and Testing of Electricity, New Renewable Energy, and Energy Conservation at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Senda Hurmuzan Kanan noted in a statement here, Thursday, that the government continues to promote the motorcycle conversion program.

According to Kanan, the long-term strategy to convince people to convert their motorcycles is finding investors that provide motorcycle battery swap services.

Battery swap services provided at public electric vehicle battery swap stations (SPBKLU) become one of the government's breakthroughs to ready infrastructure to support the acceleration of motorcycle conversion.

"With the presence of battery swap investors, there is no longer the need to buy batteries for electric motorcycles, and (one) only needs to swap them," he explained.

He noted that the cost to be borne for motorcycle conversion by the community is targeted to be cheaper in the future.

Kanan further noted that the other effort to expedite implementation of the program is through the issuance of its supporting regulation, namely Energy and Mineral Resources Minister's Regulation Number 3 of 2023 on general guidelines for government assistance in the program of converting fuel-powered motorcycles to battery-based electric motorcycles.

Apart from the regulation, the government is also providing a cut of Rp7 million (around US$470) for the cost of each motorcycle conversion.

The assistance is carried out by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources for conversion workshops based on the verification of the Center for Survey and Testing of Electricity, New Renewable Energy, and Energy Conservation.

So far, 24 conversion workshops have been certified by the Ministry of Transportation.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources' Expert Staff for Electricity Sripeni Inten Cahyani stated that Presidential Instruction Number 7 of 2022 also supports the efforts to expedite achievement of the target of the motorcycle conversion program.

Under the regulation, the use of battery-based electric vehicles becomes mandatory as daily operational or on-duty vehicles for officials of central and regional governments.

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Translator: Kelik Dewanto, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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