Hyperdrive
Indonesia's EV Mission Will Be Trickier Than Just Mining Nickel
Southeast Asia’s biggest economy wants to use its booming battery-metals sector as a springboard to become a global player in electric vehicles.
Indonesia President Joko Widodo with US President Joe Biden at the Group of Seven leaders summit in Elmau, Germany, in June 2022.
Photographer: Liesa Johannssen-Koppitz/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Indonesian President Joko Widowo is trying to set his nation on course to become a global hub of electric vehicle production. That won’t be an easy task.
Jokowi flew to China last week with his EV dreams high on the agenda. He wants big carmakers — including from China — to set up in Indonesia, building on the country’s emergence as an indispensable source of nickel for EV batteries. That shift was fueled by billions of dollars of Chinese investment in metals plants.