ASEAN Member States To Finalize Agreement On EV Ecosystem

Photo credits to Antara News

Indonesia continues its keen interest in electric vehicles (EVs) through a new agreement pertaining to the development of EV.   According to Indonesian Foreign Affair Minister Retno Marsudi, he stated that the said agreement will be one of amongst other deals to be sealed during the 42nd ASEAN Summit event in May this year.

He further added that during the High-Level Task Force on Economic Integration meeting, ASEAN countries have sealed an agreement to establish a supportive ecosystem for EVs in the region.  ‘’We will finalize it during the upcoming summit in May," the minister affirmed while issuing a press statement in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Currently, as one of the countries that holds 23% percent of world’s reserves of nickel, it has set three priorities as it chairs this year’s ASEAN introducing a new theme called “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.”

This theme encapsulates three pillars - ASEAN Matters, Epicentrum of Growth, and the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). Offering incentives to lure people into buying EVs, Indonesia urged ASEAN to establish a designated ecosystem for EV development in the region.

This includes under the Epicentrum of Growth pillar, Indonesia will seek to ensure the toughening of energy resilience to provide sufficient support for the transition from fossil-based energy to sustainable and clean energy. 

As reported by the Indonesian news outlet,  ASEAN Cooperation Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sidharto Suryodiputro said in March earlier that the ecosystem’s establishment could begin with the setting of a standard for EVs in ASEAN.

"ASEAN is considered as one of the largest economic regions in the world. With that in mind, ASEAN should be able to set its own standard," he said.

“EV-producing countries such as China, South Korea, and the US have their own sets of standards. We should look for the possibility of ASEAN having its own. We are convinced that ASEAN is capable of accomplishing such a feat," he added.