With the help of the 8 machine shops, we aim to convert as many as 34,979 units of electric motorbikes per year.
Surabaya (ANTARA) - The Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ministry is intensifying efforts to convert conventional motorbikes into electric vehicles (EVs) to achieve the target of net-zero emissions (NZE) by 2060.

New and Renewable Energy, and Energy Conservation Director at the ESDM Ministry Gigih Adi Atmo said the ministry is planning to provide communities, especially those running machine shops, with training, in addition to conducting information dissemination activities.

"According to the latest data, 26 machine shops have been registered as capable of conducting the conversion," he noted on the sidelines of the second round of the Electric Motorbike Conversion Program Roadshow in Surabaya, East Java, on Saturday.

Nationally, the ESDM Ministry has certified a total of eight machine shops that will partner with the ministry in executing the conversion efforts, he informed.

"With the help of the eight machine shops, we aim to convert as many as 34,979 units of electric motorbikes per year," he affirmed.

Furthermore, he expressed the hope that in 2023, at least 50 thousand motorbikes will be converted into EVs in Indonesia.

"We hope that we can achieve the target of 150 thousand electric motorbikes by next year. Currently, we are converting 4.4 thousand vehicles," he said.

Speaking about the roadshow, he said it is aimed at supporting the government's efforts to achieve the target by spreading the word about conversion in 10 big cities in Indonesia, namely Denpasar, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Medan, Mataram, Kupang, Balikpapan, and Makassar.

Atmo further elaborated that the ministry is striving to spread information about bike conversion with a special focus on East Java, since it is home to 20.7 million motorbikes, making it the province with the highest number of motorbikes in Indonesia.

"Currently, the government is making tremendous efforts to reduce the number of two-wheeled fossil fuel-based vehicles, whose population has reached 120 million units. In fact, the number is growing at the rate of five to six percent per year," he stressed.

Therefore, he said he hoped that the dissemination efforts in East Java, especially Surabaya, will raise the people's awareness about the importance of reducing carbon emissions and taking part in efforts to create a clean environment by converting their motorbikes into EVs.

"Hopefully, this campaign will result in an increase in the number of electric motorbikes in East Java and support the government's resolution to expedite the energy transition process and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," he added.

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Translator: Tegar Nurfitra Putra Rofian
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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