The establishment of an electric vehicle battery plant in the nickel-rich nation of Indonesia has been suggested by the government to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, according to a top investment official in Indonesia on Monday.
Following Musk’s meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo during a water conference on the island of Bali, the official spoke.
We proposed that an EV battery manufacturing be built here as a prelude to cathodes. Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan told reporters, “And he said he will consider it.”
With the greatest reserves of nickel in the world, among other rich natural resources, Indonesia is eager to develop its industries. Solar panels and EV batteries both require nickel as a component.
The billionaire founder of social media site X and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla was at the Indonesian resort island to introduce Starlink satellite internet service.
Speaking to officials and specialists at the conference on global water concerns, he expressed his belief that desalination might address water scarcity provided sufficient energy was available.
Based on government estimates, Indonesia can supply up to 75% of the world’s nickel by 2030, from its current 40% share. The government wants to generate 600,000 EVs by 2030, and by 2027, it would only allow EVs and related parts made in Indonesia to have 60% local content.
The nation has been attempting for years to reach agreements with Musk’s SpaceX to supply rapid internet connectivity to isolated regions of the vast archipelago, as well as with Tesla over battery investments.
Strong ally of Widodo and cabinet minister Pandjaitan claimed the president also requested that the billionaire fund an AI centre and allow SpaceX to construct a launchpad in the easternmost province of Papua, Indonesia, on the island of Biak.
Musk made no official declarations about his intentions to invest in the biggest economy in South-east Asia.
Laptops 1000At a press conference on Sunday following the formal opening of the Starlink service with officials from the Indonesian government, Musk responded to a journalist’s query about his ambitions for Indonesia by saying, “Well, I think it’s likely that we will be investing.” But I believe it’s highly likely that my business will make investments in Indonesia.
Back home in the US, federal highway safety inspectors are requesting Tesla provide an explanation for how and why it created a fix for a recall affecting over 2 million cars that have the business’s semi-automated driving system, Autopilot.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States has 20 crash reports after the recall remedy was distributed as an online software update in December, raising doubts about the recall’s effectiveness.
