Academia
Unless it builds the supply chain to match its electric ambitions, the country risks trading its costly addiction to foreign oil for imported batteries and coal-fired power.
Workers assemble electric motorcycles on Sept. 21, 2023, at the Alva manufacturing plant in Cikarang, West Java. (Alva Auto/-)
On paper, the math is encouraging: An electric motorcycle in Indonesia generates around 26 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometer, compared with roughly 45 g from the internal combustion bike it replaces. That comparison draws on real domestic data, matching a Viar Q1 running at 3.33 kilowatt-hour (kWh) per 100 km against a Honda Beat delivering 60.6 km per liter.Factoring in the country’s 2024 grid carbon intensity (680 g of CO2 per kWh), state electricity company PLN’s 8.55 percent transmission losses and a 95 percent charging efficiency, the electric two-wheeler comes out at roughly 26 g/km. Factor in upstream refining and fuel transport, and the gasoline engine clocks in at 45 g.
The national effect, however, remains almost invisible. The Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI) recorded 6,412,769 domestic motorcycle sales last year. Over the same period, the Transportation Ministry’s type test registration certificate (SRUT) logged just 55,059 electric motorbikes, not even 1 percent of the annual market. By mid-2025, Indonesia's cumulative electric fleet sat near 196,000 units.
