JAKARTA, Indonesia – PT Smoot Motor Indonesia (SMI) has proudly launched their environmentally friendly smart electric vehicle called SMOOT. The Indonesian-made electric motorcycle embodies proprietary battery-swapping technology invented by PT Swap Energi Indonesia. This technology enables users to eliminate the hours needed to charge batteries, which is an innovative alternative to the available offerings currently in the market.
Indonesia’s economy relies heavily on the use of motorcycles to support the mobility of daily life. With over 112,000,000 motorcycles in use (BPS, 2019), Indonesia is the 3rd largest motorcycle market in the world. However, this has directly contributed to the high levels of air pollution that is affecting public health.
While electric motorcycles are expected to be widely adopted in Indonesia to combat this, the reticent level remains high among the users. This is mainly due to an assumption that electric motorcycle is not as practical as the traditional one, as it usually takes up to 4-6 hours to charge. For active people with a high level of mobility, the nine (9) seconds of battery-swap innovation from SWAP Energy is just perfect to shatter any hesitancy in the market.
“By switching to the environmentally friendly SMOOT motorcycles which are equipped with the SWAP Battery System, users don’t have to worry about travelling long distances and running out of battery or the unreasonable charging time anymore. Now they can minimize their commuting expenses while at the same time, make a positive contribution to reducing air pollution,” said Founder and CEO of PT Smoot Motor Indonesia, Irwan Tjahaja.
It is called a “smart” electric motorcycle because vital information such as licence number, mileage, vehicle condition, battery status, location of motorcycles and even anti-theft mechanisms can be accessed through the SWAP App.
The SWAP Battery System and App also provide users access to hundreds of battery exchange locations (SWAPPoin) that are strategically placed around Jakarta. Here, they are able to conveniently book and change their empty batteries with a fresh one, all in around nine (9) seconds. This level of connectivity between vehicle, battery exchange locations and convenience hopes to convince the market that SMOOT is no ordinary electric motorcycle.
PT Swap Energi Indonesia has been conducting in-depth research for the development of battery and electric motorcycle technology since 2019. The company has received initial funding from the Kejora-SBI Orbit Fund, a venture capital funding partnership between Kejora Capital (Southeast Asia) and SBI Holdings (Japan). Together, they have been committed to creating an effective yet practical electric motorcycle that every Indonesian can use day-to-day.
