Grab integrates 1000 BYD electric vehicles in Indonesia

The Singapore-based ride-hailing service Grab is set to expand its fleet in Indonesia by more than 1,000 electric vehicles by the end of this year. Grab is relying largely on BYD electric cars as well as BYD's M6, an electric multipurpose van recently launched in the Southeast Asian country.

According to a report in the Japanese newspaper Asia Nikkei, the new electric vehicles will complement the existing Grab fleet of more than 10,000 two- and four-wheeled electric vehicles.

The BYD models that the Singapore ride-hailing company wants to integrate are said to include the BYD M6, a new 4.71-metre electric van for the Indonesian market based on BYD’s Song Max model. BYD entered the Indonesian passenger car market in January with the three models Seal, Atto 3 and Dolphin. In July, BYD then launched the aforementioned M6 as a small people carrier specifically for the Indonesian market.

Even though the purchase agreement between Grab and BYD is small-fry compared to BYD’s recently-announced 10,000-EV deal with Uber, the Chinese manufacturer is likely to benefit from making its brand better known in Indonesia where it is planning to build an electric vehicle factory expected to go into operation in 2026. Although production there will serve the whole of Southeast Asia, Indonesia is a promising growth market. Currently, Japanese carmakers have dominated the Indonesian car market, according to Nikkei, with a market share of over 90 per cent.

“We will remain consistent in providing eco-friendly mobility solutions for the public and accelerating the development of the electric vehicle ecosystem in the country,” said Neneng Goenadi, Grab’s managing director for Indonesia. Her approach to the electrification of delivery and passenger services mirrors the overall push for electrification in Indonesia. The country has turned heads internationally with a new completely eco-friendly capital city, as well as the building out of its manufacturing sector – particularly in electric vehicles – making use of the country’s battery raw material deposits such as nickel.

Southeast Asian ride-hailing services are now set to increase their fleets of electric vehicles. One of Grab’s rivals, the Indonesian company Gojek, is planning to replace all of its two-wheelers with electric variants by 2030, according to the Nikkei. Gojek has set up a joint venture called Electrum to produce electric two-wheelers in Indonesia.

asia.nikkei.com (Paywall)