Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has said that the production of converted electric scooters by a micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) is a good initiative.

“This is a good initiative, and hopefully, this can be (produced) on an industrial scale,” the minister said at a press conference here on Monday.

He expressed his pride over the creativity of some citizens, saying it exceeds that of people from other countries, including Europe.

The electric scooter has been crafted by the hands of a creative and productive youth, he pointed.

According to the minister, the company’s creativity is great and it has the potential to be improved as an expertise that would generate added value.

He also highlighted the need for Indonesia to pursue innovation that is out of the box.

“It is proven that as of today, PT Roda Elektrik Asia (Elders Garage), an MSME, can produce converted electric motorcycles, which are exported to Zurich, Swiss,” he pointed out.

He affirmed that his administration and the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry are prioritizing converted electric motorcycles.

“The Transportation Ministry is tasked, too, with improving the export volume of electric vehicles,” he said.

Converting electric vehicles is a great start considering Indonesia has tried it while other countries have not, Sumadi pointed out.

The ministry will support the establishment of more electric vehicle conversion workshops in Jember, East Java, so as to push the number of electric vehicle users in the area.

The policy has been outlined in the Transportation Ministry’s Regulation Number 15 of 2022 on the conversion of non-motorbike vehicles from fuel-based to battery-based.

The certification for electric vehicle conversion workshops has been listed in the Transportation Ministry’s Regulation Number 65 of 2020 about the conversion of motorbikes with fuel-based engines to battery-based motorbikes, which states that the relevant workshops must be certified.