Development of Electric Motorcycles a Large Market opportunity

RRI.CO.ID, Bekasi Regency- Indonesia is promoting the downstream processing of nickel as the foundation for the development of the National Electric Motor (Molinas) while also making efforts to build a domestic supply chain for electric vehicle batteries. The government considers the availability of nickel resources and national technological capabilities as capital to strengthen the electric motor industry from upstream to downstream.

The Minister of Investment and Downstreaming, Rosan Roeslani, said that Indonesia has about 46 percent of the world's nickel reserves, which can serve as the basis for developing nickel-based electric motor batteries. The utilization of these resources will be directed to support the production of cell batteries to battery packs domestically.

"The ingredients or the recipe for the national electric motor are all in our hands. Especially when we look at the battery for the national electricity, we will fully encourage the use of nickel-based batteries," Rosan said at the launch of the National Electric Motorcycle Ecosystem in Bekasi, West Java, Thursday, August 13, 2026.

He also said that Indonesia not only has mineral resources, but also the technological capability to develop electric vehicle products. The downstream processing of nickel into cell batteries and battery packs is considered to make Molinas products more affordable while also increasing the domestic production content.

The development of electric motorcycles also has a large market opportunity. Currently, there are around 140 million gasoline-powered motorcycles used by the Indonesian public, while new motorcycle sales reach about 6–7 million units per year. However, the share of electric motorcycles is only about one percent of the total purchases.

He estimates that the potential market for electric motorcycles in Indonesia can develop significantly, with a projected market value of around 170 billion USD. This condition also opens up opportunities for Indonesia to expand the use of electric vehicles and support efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

"And can not only become a champion in Indonesia, but also a champion regionally, and even must become a champion in the world," he said.

The development of Molinas is part of Indonesia's efforts to build an integrated electric vehicle ecosystem, starting from the utilization of mineral resources, battery production, to vehicle manufacturing domestically.