Gojek, an Indonesian ride-hailing startup, plans to make every car and motorcycle on its platform an electric vehicle (EV) by 2030 in partnerships with companies and favourable leasing arrangements, co-Chief Executive Kevin Aluwi told Reuters.
Gojek declared the plan on Friday under a zero-emission agreement laid out in its first annual sustainability report, which investigators widely regarded as a move aimed at making the company closer to a public listing.
Nevertheless, analysts anticipate the cost of going electric in Indonesia to be high due to the need for associated infrastructure in a country that only has around 100 charging stations.
“Our target is to work with various different players within the industry and government to reduce the cost of EVs to about 30% lower than internal combustion engine vehicles,” prioritising Gojek’s home market, Aluwi said in an interview ahead of the report’s release.
The Jakarta-based firm is in talks to promote the advancement of Indonesia’s EV industry, including how to build infrastructures such as battery swap and charging stations, he said.
Gojek also offers food delivery and payment services, says it has over 2 million drivers across Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore, and is supported by big-name investors including Alphabet Inc’s Google and Tencent Holdings Ltd.
Aluwi, who co-founded Gojek in 2011, said the firm has EV pilot programmes in Indonesia with state energy firms Pertamina and Perusahaan Listrik Negara, scooter makers Gesits, Viar, NIU Technologies and Honda Motor Co Ltd, plus automakers Toyota Motor Corp and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
The chief interests for drivers switching to EVs involved power and infrastructure as well as cost, Aluwi said. To help with financing, Gojek is examining leasing systems, possibly through its financial services arm, he said.
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