"I drive the car myself to convince other people."Solo, Central Java (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan conducted a long-distance test drive on the first Indonesian super-electric car Tucuxi here on Saturday.
The Tucuxi electric car managed to travel as far as 400 kilometers in four hours from Tawangmangu, Solo, to Magetan, East Java, across hilly terrain that reached up to 1,305 meters above sea level.
According Dahlan, the Ferrari-red electric car costs up to Rp1.5 billion to build and has been named after a small dolphin species that lives in ponds with a mixture of fresh and salt water.
Tucuxi was created by the Kupu Kupu Malam modifications house in Yogyakarta in 2012. It has the same power as a car fueled by 3.5 liters of gasoline.
The two-seater was designed by Danet Suryatama, an Indonesian who had previously worked for U.S. automotive giant Chrysler.
Dahlan Iskan noted that state spending on fuel subsidies had reached Rp200 trillion, and gasoline combustion was affecting people`s health due to pollution from emissions.
Dahlan pointed out that fuel combustion has an enormous impact on the environment.
There is a strong desire to replace gasoline with electricity. "Previously, I test drove the creation of one of the nation`s sons, Ahmad, as far as one thousand kilometers," he said.
"I drive the car myself to convince other people that this car exists and works properly," Dahlan stated.
(U.A050/INE/KR-BSR/H-YH)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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