INDONESIA, CHINESE FIRMS COMBINE TO DRIVE EV GROWTH

Greater low-carbon awareness, joint ventures increase demand in Southeast Asian country

After driving his Wuling Binguo electric vehicle for about half a year, Luthfi, a resident of Jakarta, Indonesia, found the experience of using his first EV to be "pretty good".

"The (EV charging) is cheap …and the car is quite small so I can move on the road easily," said the 45-year-old, who goes by one name.

One of the first buyers of a Wuling Binguo, a compact electric car launched in Indonesia in December, Luthfi said he chose it because the manufacturer, SAIC-GM-Wuling, has been in Indonesia for seven years, and the vehicles are made locally.