Jakarta (VNA) – The Energy and Mineral Resources(ESDM) Ministry of Indonesia is working hard to convert conventional motorbikesinto electric vehicles (EVs) to achieve the target of net-zero emissionsby 2060.

Director of the ministry’s Department of New andRenewable Energy, and Energy Conservation Gigih Adi Atmo was quoted by localmedia as saying that the ministry is planning to provide communities,especially those running machine shops, with training, in addition toconducting information dissemination activities.

According to the latest data, 26 machine shops have beenregistered as capable of conducting the conversion, he noted on the sidelinesof the second round of the Electric Motorbike Conversion Programme Roadshow inSurabaya, East Java, on August 12.

The ministry has so far certified a total of eight machineshops that will partner with the ministry in executing the conversion efforts,he informed.

With the help of the eight machine shops, we aim to convert as many as 34,979units of electric motorbikes per year, he affirmed. He expressed the hope thatat least 50,000 motorbikes will be converted into EVs in Indonesia in 2023 and 150,000in next year.

Atmo further elaborated that the ministry is striving tospread information about bike conversion with a special focus on East Java,since it is home to 20.7 million motorbikes, making it the province with thehighest number of motorbikes in Indonesia.

Currently, the Indonesian government is making efforts toreduce the number of two-wheeled fossil fuel-based vehicles, whose populationhas reached 120 million units. In fact, the number is growing at the rate of 5-6% per year, he stressed.

He said he hopes that the dissemination efforts in East Javawill raise public awareness of the importance of reducing carbon emissions andtaking part in efforts to create a clean environment by converting theirmotorbikes into EVs./.