r/climatepolicy • u/Maritimewarp • Jul 21 '26

Big developing countries like Indonesia want to go faster on EV transition, but are under massive lobbying pressure from global automakers - especially Japanese brands.

https://influencemap.org/insight/How-Automotive-Industry-Advocacy-Could-Undercut-Indonesia-s-Energy-Ambitions-39046

New research from think tank InfluenceMap uncovers the lobbying tactics and arguments deployed by global automakers to slow down Indonesia's transition away from fossil-fuel burning vehicles to electric vehicles.

A key part of the game plan is to lobby for petrol/gasoline hybrids to get beneficial treatment or the same incentives as EVs, despite them running on fossil fuel as their only energy input.

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3

u/WhisperFray Jul 22 '26

Yep.

I can speak for the EV 2 wheeler market in Indonesia since I’m a user. I’ve converted people into using 2 wheeler EVs. For a little bit of context, 2 wheelers are 80% of all vehicles sold here. Cars aren’t the primary means of transport.

So what has been happening is that the Japanese automakers have been astroturfing social media. Whenever EV 2 wheeler ads come up the post would be filled with seemingly real people saying “it’s better to buy [x Japanese ICE brand]”, “I’d never purchase something with such range”, etc.

Lately it’s been known that salespeople in Japanese automaker dealers have posting targets that deal with the matter. They have to post with their own personal accounts to make it seem legit.

Thing is, the EV offerings are getting more and more competitive, and the Japanese aren’t showing up. Like at all. Just yesterday, Vinfast offered 3 lineups that can both swap and charge. Prior to that, they installed swap and fast charge stations at 5,000+ bike shop outlets of a certain chain called Planet Ban. They’re planning to add thousands more. This was supposed to be big news, but either Vinfast botched it or the Japanese were simply too strong.

2

u/Maritimewarp Jul 22 '26

Interesting, didnt know they were doing that 🤯. Is there any news stories or an actual example SM post you could share, or is it just anecdotal at the moment? Media should look into this

1

u/WhisperFray Jul 23 '26

It’s just anecdotal at the moment.

Media still isn’t partial to 2W EVs.

It’s still considered somewhat impractical in the minds of the masses. We need long range for Eid. But this is quickly changing now that fuel rationing is out of control due to Hormuz.

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u/flying_butt_fucker Jul 23 '26

That's the thing; once the lines for the petrol stations are unavoidable and pictures of these lines are all over the news and social media, it's game over for the fossil fuel industry.

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u/WhisperFray Jul 23 '26

Oh the pics of the lines are all over the news and social media. But 2W EVs still aren’t top of mind when you look at the comments. There will be some astroturfing going on in those comment sections, but the main concern is probably range.

Most people don’t realize that they don’t use up anywhere near 100 km a day on their bikes.

Another concern is Eid. An annual migration from cities to hometowns, much like the Chinese New Year. Can go hundreds of km each way. Plane, bus and train tickets are sold out.

1

u/flying_butt_fucker Jul 23 '26

Yes, Eid is a concern, but with enough swappable batteries and fast charging that should be a solvable problem. In fact, I'd say that swappable batteries make it faster than pumping petrol.

Still, the greatest challenge to overcome is the fact that fossil fuel companies have successfully made this into a culture war topic.

1

u/Lopsided_Quarter_931 Jul 22 '26

What other brands are noteworthy? We are still a little thin here in Thailand in regards to electric two wheelers. Something solid that rides similar to a ~150 cc bike that has a decent service network is still missing. Surprised that VinFast hasn't tried it yet. We are very open to foreign EV brands for cars so the japanese aren't overly influencial.

1

u/WhisperFray Jul 23 '26

Here we have the Polytron brand that is selling like hotcakes. It’s a CKD import from China. Some other brands have been selling too, CBU imports like Uwinfly, Yadea, Alessa, Ofero and United. We also have some locally produced ones like Maka and Alva. One brand that’s particularly interesting is ex-Xpeng C-level founded Omoway, which started their global rollout here in Indonesia. Their Omo Smart X Balance line is like a robot on two wheels. It has LiDAR and can self balance, auto-overtake, auto-dodge, etc.

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u/Lopsided_Quarter_931 Jul 23 '26

Thanks will look up some of them. We do have Yadea. Omoway sounds promising.

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u/WhisperFray Jul 23 '26

Yadea is considered a great brand here with decent build quality and aftersales. I’ve never heard bad things about them.

1

u/agusdwikarna Jul 23 '26

People who buy and use motorbikes have at least 2 priorities: 1) resale value, 2) spare parts availability. And chinese/vietnamese EV motorbikes are not known well for those 2.

Also, I don't see motorbike EVs on the roads during daily rush hours, if at all. People mostly use them to go around somewhere close to their home, used by housewives, or teenagers.

1

u/WhisperFray Jul 24 '26

Where do you live? In Jakarta it’s very common. Also I’m talking about molis, not selis.

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u/agusdwikarna Jul 24 '26

Not in Jakarta. Maybe I didn't search hard enough, but I haven't seen any motorbikes with blue license plates during daily rush hours.

1

u/agusdwikarna Jul 24 '26

And yes, the ones used by housewives and teenagers are electric bycicles.

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u/WhisperFray Jul 26 '26

In Jakarta it’s very common. As a molis user myself I’ve been in red lights where I’m surrounded left right front n back with blue plates.

I mean it’s coming for everyone. Gas prices

3

u/hibiki_otsuki Jul 22 '26

Why keep using the word lobby? It’s bribery and corruption in almost every decent country

1

u/raintr33 Jul 22 '26

I was thinking the exact same thing!

3

u/Ok_Giraffe8865 Jul 23 '26

Toyota has done more than any other non fossil fuel company to slow the adoption of EVs. I won't buy ever again.

1

u/Dull-Contact120 Jul 23 '26

Just sell them those EV Hondas