GOJEK, TBS ENERGI UTAMA FORM JV TO DEVELOP INDONESIA’S TWO-WHEEL EV ECOSYSTEM

JAKARTA, Nov 20 -- Gojek, an on-demand multi-service platform and digital payment technology group, and PT TBS Energi Utama Tbk (TBS), an integrated energy company, have formed a joint venture (JV) to develop infrastructure for two-wheel electric vehicles (EVs) in Indonesia.

The JV, known as Electrum, will act to develop a comprehensive EV ecosystem, including two-wheel EV manufacturing, battery packaging, battery swap infrastructure, and financing for EV ownership.

“We will mobilise an initial commitment of US$10 million (US$1=RM4.18) into Electrum, but the investment could go up to US$1 billion within the next five years,” TBS vice-president and director, Pandu Patria Sjahrir said as quoted by Kompas.com.

He said the collaboration is part of its commitment to reinvest TBS’ current earnings in clean and renewable energy to become a greener business.

Gojek chief executive officer and co-founder, Kevin Aluwi said: “Gojek’s aim is to work together with partners to achieve our sustainability goals, including fully electrifying our transport fleet by 2030.”

The Indonesian decacorn recently announced an EV and battery swapping pilot scheme in Jakarta, partnering with Taiwan-based battery maker Gogoro, e-bike manufacturer Gesit, and state-owned energy firm Pertamina.

This will allow Gojek to deploy 500 EVs in Jakarta, with plans to scale to 5,000 EVs, while Pertamina provides battery-swapping services at its petrol stations.

As of March 2021, Gojek’s application has been downloaded more than 190 million times by users in Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand.

-- BERNAMA