Jakarta – Chinese-made batteries on the market have an average life of one year at most, according to observers. Amid the government’s efforts to increase the use of electric motorbikes, a new problem arose with the waste produced from the short-life batteries.
Director of Strategic Planning and Business Development of Pertamina New and Renewable Energy (NRE), Fadli Rahman, in a written statement at the launch of the electric vehicle white paper by Deloitte Indonesia and Foundry, lamented the short life of the main components of the electric motor.
“The batteries (electric motorbikes) in circulation are currently made in China with a lifetime of only about one year. We were promised three to four years, but after one year, many have already failed,” said Rahman.
Therefore, he continued, Pertamina, in collaboration with PLN, Antam and Inalum, will form a joint venture company, Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC). The company works on a battery factory construction project with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Limited (CATL).
“The average battery in circulation now has several components damaged inside. IBC will recycle the batteries produced. Damaged batteries are recycled. The contents are removed, repaired, and made again,” Rahman said. (Hartatik)
Banner photo: An online motorbike taxi driver charges an electric motorbike at Pertamina’s charging station in Denpasar, Bali. (Hartatik)
