"It is likely the production can be started earlier than planned, because a research on the prototype of the electric car according to the road map of 2014 has now been completed by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI)," the minister told newsmen here on Sunday.
The electric cars can compete with fuel-oil-driven cars, he said, adding that the price of a LIPI-made electric bus is around Rp1.5 billion.
"That is the research production cost. The price can be lowered by 30 percent if the electric bus is produced en masse. If compared with the cost of a fuel-oil-driven bus of Rp850 million, of course the price of (the electric bus) is relatively equal," he said.
In addition, the operation cost of the electric bus is highly efficient because it does not need fuel oil including lubricating oil, the minister said, adding that the electric bus is also environmentally friendly and no emission test is needed.
In reply to a question, he explained that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has expressed his serious attention to the development of electric buses.
As a token of his serious attention, the President has invited experts from several institutes of higher learning like the University of Indonesia (UI), the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the 10th November Institute of Surabaya (ITS), the Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and the Surakarta state University (UNS) to discuss the related matter.
Apart from that, State Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan has also called on the Indonesian automotive experts working abroad to talk about the electric cars including the possible electric motor bikes. (B003/S012)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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