Auto retailer PT Magnum Molis Indonesia on Thursday launched seven types of electric motorcycles in Batam, Riau Islands.
Completely Disassembled Vehicles (CKDs), which have passed Ministry of Transport standards, are fully assembled in Batam, with 60% of the motorcycle’s components sourced from China and the rest produced domestically.
Magnum Molis Indonesia chief executive officer Cahya said the company has invested 50 billion rupees ($ 3.6 million) for the project and that the 200 vehicles it produced as a target for 2017 is were sold within two months of the market trial.
“We believe that the electric motorcycle has a great potential market,†Cahya said, adding that in Batam, driving electric motorcycles costs less than gasoline motorcycles.
He explained that gasoline was expensive in Riau and a motorcycle owner had to spend around Rp 400,000 ($ 29.5) per month on fuel. During this time, the owner of an electric motorcycle would only need to spend around Rp 40,000 (S2.95) per month to recharge the battery.
Magnum Molis’ electric motorcycle battery needed around six hours to be fully charged, on which it could travel around 80 kilometers at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour, he added.
The company has an assembly plant with a capacity of 1,000 units per month, Cahya said, adding that several people have submitted proposals to become resellers.
Separately, the president of the Batam Free Zone, Luki Dinarsyah Tuwo, advised the company to sell its electric motorcycles in markets outside the island, promising to facilitate all the necessary documents. (bbn)