Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have agreed to strategic cooperation on electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
Widodo wants to build an electric vehicle battery production industry in Indonesia, which has the world’s largest reserves of nickel, and is seeking cooperation from Australia, a major supplier of battery mineral lithium.
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“Indonesia and Australia must build a more substantive and strategic economic cooperation through the joint production of EV batteries,” Widodo told reporters after a meeting with Albanese in Sydney.
Electric Vehicle Council CEO Behyad Jafari welcomed the news.
“We welcome this commitment between Australia and Indonesia to advance the development of an electric vehicle production ecosystem,” Jafari said.
“It’s encouraging to see a shift towards positive leadership from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to develop Australia’s opportunities in the EV sector.
“Creating global partnerships, attracting international investment, and changing perceptions of Australia on the world stage are vital if we want to catch up with and lead the developed world with EVs.
“Collaborating with Indonesia is an exciting opportunity for our country to get involved in advanced EV battery production. It also shows that despite our international performance and reputation on EVs, countries in our region recognise our potential to shift gears and become an EV-manufacturing powerhouse that harnesses our rich resources and highly skilled workforce.
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“But we can’t be leaders in EV manufacturing and new technology while we remain the world’s dirty car dumping ground. With the government now in the process of setting a new vehicle efficiency standard, it’s absolutely critical that this standard is mandatory and globally competitive for the sake of our environment, health and hip pockets.
“Research shows motorists can save up to $10,000 over a vehicle’s lifetime if a strong, effective, competitive standard is adopted in Australia.”
