Electric Motor Scooters - Are they the future trend?

Chiron

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Below is a recent article discussing electric motor scooters in Indonesia. As many are all too aware, Indonesia definitely has it's share of scooters. This would also apply to a number of other places in various Asian regions. The interesting point for me, is that Indonesia has been an oil producing nation, and is now looking closely at things like electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing. However, in my opinion that doesn't necessarily translate to actual growth of electric vehicles for the general population of Indonesia. The challenges (or gating factor), could be the ability of the electric grid to handle an explosion of demand for these EVs. Or is there another twist that could occur??

In this article, they point out that the EV scooter market was about $364MM in 2019, and is expected to grow by 20% per year, reaching about $816MM by 2025. In looking at this article, I'm wondering who would be in this market. If a typical Indonesian family has a gas powered scooter, why would they opt for an electric model? It's a big expense to change out, gas seems to be relatively inexpensive compared to electricity, and keeping your old scooter going is supported by a nationwide supply of inexpensive parts and mechanics.

However, what if the grid limitation were to be bypassed with a modest solar install, coupled with a cheaply produced lithium battery made in Indonesia? The article points out that lead-acid batteries have been the choice due to cost, and will continue to be in the short term. However, charging times are prohibitive. Indonesian-made lithium cells could change that. Lithium cells charge up much quicker. Since these batteries are much smaller on scooters, a decent solar panel setup could be a practical answer to the grid challenges in Indonesia. With all that said, it looks like a number of electric scooter companies are popping up around the country.

https://www.yahoo.com/now/indonesia-electric-two-wheeler-market-141300433.html
 
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There's a guy on the fb expats page been trying to shift these for years. But never manages to convincingly answer questions about safety, insurance, pavement or road usage, speed limits, battery range and where to charge etc.
He just seems to be a guy who thought they would sell like hot cakes and instead has been left with dozens of them.
And they're not cheap either

I remember 2019 a lot of offices had the green scooters in the lobby from grab or gojek that you took and rented to ride to another building.
Instead bored people just took them for a jolly during lunch to pose for the 'gram and they've since long been removed. Maybe for safety reasons.
 
I mean those kiddy scooter ones where you stand up on it with 2 tiny wheels

Not a scooter like a Scoopy with a seat etc like a gojek
 
Look at China......
Yes, China is an interesting reference point - especially when looking at EVs like the Nio. That's a fairly high-end (expensive) vehicle who's key selling point is a unique swappable battery capability. Nio, with the blessing of the Chinese government is building battery swap stations - maybe 150 so far, with plans for a lot more. If looking at how most of the Chinese population live, it's getting to be mostly the high-rise apartment building model. There's no place to conveniently charge at your home. The swap station takes about 3-4 minutes, and you get another 600km. Also, it would appear that China's electrical grid could handle the upsurge on the electrical grid.

One of the reasons I posted the article, is to ask the question if electric vehicles will take Indonesia by storm. My guess is that it won't - at least not in the short term. The biggest roadblock will be overall electrical demands, which I don't think Indonesia would be prepared for. I think the same holds true for other Asian countries, and places like Africa as well. I just don't think the EV demand will be as much as it is in the west, like EU and US. However, motor scooters could be a different story, but then maybe not, as @snpark has pointed out above.
 
If and when tourism opens up again the most probable developments may be with large resorts and electric bikes for tourists as is the case in old Bagian in Myanmar. These are comfortable, quiet and easy to use. Not sure of the costs but they captured that part of the hire for a day or week market.
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For Jakarta, perhaps something with a battery swap option? One of the things that prevent people from getting EVs (2-wheeled or 4-wheeled) is range anxiety.
 
Theoretically the bikes in Bagian had an 8 hour capacity so essentially they are an inner city transport vehicle. But batteries seem to be improving all the time.
 
The idea of having a solar panel set up at home and getting free transport, sounds fantastic. But i recently bought a new honda scooter & the thing goes 60km on a single litre of fuel, and its capable of reaching over 100km/h speeds. I dont think electric can match that just yet. There needs to be an appeal & i just dont see it yet.
 
The idea of having a solar panel set up at home and getting free transport, sounds fantastic. But i recently bought a new honda scooter & the thing goes 60km on a single litre of fuel, and its capable of reaching over 100km/h speeds. I dont think electric can match that just yet. There needs to be an appeal & i just dont see it yet.
It isn't just about electric motor bikes matching petrol fuelled bikes in price and performance although take up will largely depend upon that. When one considers the pollution contribution from petrol motors in a city like Jakarta there may come a time when the government may offer incentives or even look to phasing out petrol fuelled motors when the performance and price gaps narrow
 
If it was easy to exchange the batteries so you always had one charged at home, I would consider it. Eight hours is rather a lot of battery for puttering around Bandung. You might get away with swapping out once a week for some people. Of course, I don't want to use a motorbike or live in Bandung anymore, but I see the appeal.

Anyone willing to make a guestimation of the cost, including the bike, an extra battery, and a solar setup?
 
I am 100% behind using electric vehicles of all types. It seems like common sense, to not have the noise, and pollution of fossil fueled engines. It's true, the lack of charging stations, and power, and distance, and cost, are all deciding factors. When these problems are fixed, I'm sure all people would love to have one.
But as we know, the petrochemical corporations have a strong grip on governments, and don't want to lose it, so they do everything they can to prevent alternative energy!
 
The first thing I bought once return to Indonesia, is electric scooter. Unfortunately very disappointed. So I give away to my BIL and then get Xmax 250; nice, just a bit difficult to maneuver in kampung road here in Bali.
 
While going electric is great for the environment, electric scooters are becoming something of a hazard. Speeding and standing up has led to fatal accidents when, for whatever reason, the rider has lost control and bit the dust. The other hazardous element is people riding them on footpaths and as they are silent many a pedestrian has met many a scooter rider with unhappy results. Particularly vulnerable are old codger pedestrians who are more prone to damage with any kind of fall.
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I am 100% behind using electric vehicles of all types. It seems like common sense, to not have the noise, and pollution of fossil fueled engines. It's true, the lack of charging stations, and power, and distance, and cost, are all deciding factors. When these problems are fixed, I'm sure all people would love to have one.
But as we know, the petrochemical corporations have a strong grip on governments, and don't want to lose it, so they do everything they can to prevent alternative energy!
Solar power alone would be very slow to charge an EV on it's own. Plus to store the elecricity from the solar panels you need ... more batteries. Batteries have a nasty carbon footprint to make and then they need to be recyled or disposed of. Much like hardly any plastic is actually recycled, I think you find the same true of batteries. There are an environmental nightmare much worse than people want to admit. I don't see how this is the answer.
 
The model to change an empty motorcycle battery for a full one outside of all mini markets like IndoMaret and AlfaMart works very well. Quite some ojek drivers do that already.

There are solutions for everything and to ignore the potential of solar power in this climate is short sighted. Even in Australia battery wall boxes in combination with roof panels are rather popular..
 
The model to change an empty motorcycle battery for a full one outside of all mini markets like IndoMaret and AlfaMart works very well. Quite some ojek drivers do that already.

There are solutions for everything and to ignore the potential of solar power in this climate is short sighted. Even in Australia battery wall boxes in combination with roof panels are rather popular..
If the sun would shine 24 hours a day and it was never cloudy, you might be onto something. As it stands now I have a solar powered night light that some nights stops early becaue the battery didn't get enough charge. Spend your money however you want but know that majority of people who buy solar panels (at crazy prices I might add) regret their decision and it turns out that it by the time the panels pay for themselves, its time to replace them. Same story for and EV batteries. With all these batteries needed we may find out that it is worse for the enviorment in the long run.
 
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The bigger picture regarding electric vehicles is that Indonesia then needs to invest in new technology and the associated infrastructure (charging stations and stations). Employment in this country then becomes greater with more high-quality jobs.
 
If the sun would shine 24 hours a day and it was never cloudy, you might be onto something. As it stands now I have a solar powered night light that some nights stops early becaue the battery didn't get enough charge. Spend your money however you want but know that majority of people who buy solar panels (at crazy prices I might add) regret their decision and it turns out that it by the time the panels pay for themselves, its time to replace them. Same story for and EV batteries. With all these batteries needed we may find out that it is worse for the enviorment in the long run.
Yes it is unfortunate that solar panels are still quite expensive, ut they do last many years, enough and more to cover the cost. The small solar night light you mentioned is not built to be efficient. It is too small, to work properly. In my opinion, the governments should subsidize solar energy instead of at the moment, fossil fuels. New research should be promoted and subsidized, to develop cleaner and more efficient batteries.
Everyone knows that the use of burning fossil fuels, is over polluting our Planet. It is imperative that all countries need to create and use cleaner sources of power, to save our planet Now!
 
In Australia there is no way I would buy an electric car at the moment. A major concern would be that if I broke down in the outback it would seem unlikely I would find someone to fix it and maybe a problem getting parts. In Indonesia that aspect seems less concerning. With many people harbouring doubts it will probably come down to requiring government regulations to encourage electric and discourage petrol and diesel.
 

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