Indonesia’s Largest Taxi Firm Counts On BYD Plant To Cut EV Prices

As it looks to grow its fleet, Indonesia's biggest taxi company, PT Blue Bird anticipates that the upcoming BYD facility will lower the cost of electric vehicles (EVs). This comes after the firm’s president commissioner, Noni Purnomo, told Bloomberg that the company wants 3% of its fleet to be electric by the end of the year and progressively raise that percentage to 20% by 2030.

“We are very happy that BYD is now investing in Indonesia,” said Purnomo, who previously headed the taxi company.

“We hope very soon the price of EV will be reduced significantly,” Purnomo added.

Blue Bird, which started operating electric taxis in 2019, said that it will purchase the bulk of its EV fleet from BYD, the biggest EV manufacturer in the world, at a reduced cost.

A US$1.3 billion investment is being made by Chinese automaker BYD to set up an EV manufacturing facility in Indonesia. With a production target of up to 150,000 units annually, the factory, which is situated in the West Java province, is anticipated to start operations in January 2026.

BYD's investment makes it the latest automaker to establish EV manufacturing facilities in Indonesia. Hyundai of South Korea and Wuling of China have both operated electric vehicle plants in the country since 2022.