PT VKTR Teknologi Mobilitas (VKTR), a subsidiary of PT Bakrie & Brothers Tbk (BNBR) together with PT Industri Kereta Api (Persero) or commonly called PT INKA, agreed to build a strategic alliance to realize the goal of building an electricity-based transportation ecosystem in Indonesia. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two parties was signed by PT INKA President Director Budi Noviantoro and VKTR President Director Gilarsi W. Setijono, in Madiun, East Java, today Monday, 08/29/2022.

President Director of PT INKA Budi Noviantoro explained that there are similarities in the platforms and goals of PT INKA and VKTR, where both parties are now trying to become pioneers in the development of the electric vehicle industry ecosystem in Indonesia. According to Budi, this can certainly be synergized in order to strengthen the resources owned by each party. “We have an industrial development plan which I believe can help and complement each other. Right, so each one doesn’t need to try everything on their own. We collaborate with existing capacities and capabilities,” said Budi.

President Commissioner of VKTR Anindya Novyan Bakrie, who was present to witness the signing, said that this strategic cooperation is in line with the Bakrie Group’s business strategy going forward. “As I have said before, our future business development will have a lot to do with industrial electrification and green energy. Today’s efforts are part of that strategy, and of course it will help ease our steps going forward,” said Anindya.

He also emphasized that the form of public-private partnership (PPP) as carried out by VKTR today is important for the process of accelerating the creation of an electrification industrial ecosystem in the country. “It is our collective duty to build and have complete technological independence from upstream to downstream, on a national scale and with global quality,” said Anindya again.

President Director of VKTR, Gilarsi W. Setijono, said that this collaboration aims to explore the manufacture and development of components for various automotive products, especially electric vehicles locally. “We certainly want the absorption of the TKDN of the electric bus products that we have developed to increase rapidly,” he explained. He also added that PT INKA will later produce bus units and provide production facilities and its experts. “PT INKA clearly has a long and qualified manufacturing experience. We ourselves have a strong capacity in the automotive component industry and technical know-how from our global partners as electric vehicle component makers. We can certainly direct all of this together to be able to support the development of electric vehicle technology in Indonesia,” explained Gilarsi again.

PT INKA is a State-Owned Enterprise (BUMN) which is engaged in manufacturing the first integrated train in Southeast Asia. PT INKA recently announced that it is developing an electric bus with a production capacity of up to 150 units. In addition, the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education has assigned a consortium of State Higher Education (PTN) and PT INKA to produce electric buses that will be used for the G20 Summit, November 2022 in Bali. The bus, nicknamed the Red and White Electric Bus (BLMP), is able to absorb more than 50% of the domestic component level (TKDN).

Meanwhile, PT VKTR Mobilitas Technology is a startup in the field of transportation electrification manufacturing and telematics ecosystem. The company has signed strategic partnerships with a number of parties, including the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer BYD Auto, British environmentally friendly battery manufacturer BritishVolt, Tri Sakti car body company, British heavy mobility technology company Equipmake, Surabaya State Electronics Polytechnic (PENS), Eleven March University (UNS) and several others. This collaboration with many parties is one of VKTR’s strategies to localize the technology of its manufacturing products, as well as aiming for the transportation electrification industry in Indonesia to be fully developed from upstream to downstream.