Indonesia to partner Australia to boost EV battery production – major suppliers of nickel and lithium

Indonesia and Australia could partner up to increase the production of electric vehicle batteries in support of the growing EV market, Drive reported, as president of Indonesia Joko Widodo and prime minister of Australia Anthony Albanese met earlier this month in an annual meeting between the two countries.

“Leaders agreed that there is more to be done to increase economic integration and two-way investment. The leaders discussed opportunities for both countries from the global transition towards electric vehicles on the road to net zero emissions,” the Australian prime minister’s office wrote in a statement earlier this month.

Mining was identified as one of the industries over which the two countries could explore closer ties, according to the report. Australia has the world’s largest deposits of lithium, while Indonesia is a major supplier of nickel; both are used in significant amounts for the manufacture of EV batteries.

Earlier, Hyundai has been reported to scheduled to launch two EV models in the Indonesian market next year, which are to be produced at the manufacturer’s plant in Bekasi, West Java in Indonesia.

The two fully electric models are likely to use batteries produced in Indonesia, according to a CNN Indonesia report. Indonesia has already EV battery investment, with Hyundai and LG having announced their joint venture in 2021 for the manufacture of EV battery cells destined for E-GMP platform-based Hyundai and Kia models.

In May this year, the Hyundai Energy Indonesia battery assembly plant in Bekasi was launched, and this will produce battery packs that will be compatible with the battery cells manufactured at the Karawang plant. Production at these two battery production sites will commence in 2024.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.