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.
โWe welcome this commitment between Australia and Indonesia to advance the development of an electric vehicle production ecosystem,โ Jafari said.
โItโs encouraging to see a shift towards positive leadership from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to develop Australiaโs opportunities in the EV sector.
โCreating 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.
โCollaborating 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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โBut we canโt be leaders in EV manufacturing and new technology while we remain the worldโs dirty car dumping ground. With the government now in the process of setting a new vehicle efficiency standard, itโs absolutely critical that this standard is mandatory and globally competitive for the sake of our environment, health and hip pockets.
โResearch shows motorists can save up to $10,000 over a vehicleโs lifetime if a strong, effective, competitive standard is adopted in Australia.โ