Indonesia launches first EV battery plant [Video]

Indonesia launched its first electric vehicle battery plant on Wednesday, President Joko Widodo said, as Southeast Asian countries move to gain a foothold in the emerging industry.

The country, which is the region’s largest economy and home to the largest nickel reserve in the world, has been seeking to position itself as a key player in the global electric vehicle supply chain.

The plant is a joint venture between South Korean manufacturers Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution (LGES) and can produce up to 10 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of battery cells every year.

Widodo said the plant, located in West Javan town of Karawang, was “the biggest in Southeast Asia”.

Its opening marked “a new chapter” that underscored the resource-rich nation’s ambition to become a global player in the electric vehicle supply chain, Widodo said at the launch.

“We have …