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- Jan 24, 2017
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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
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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