Car maker Tesla is planning to invest in battery materials manufacturing in Indonesia, according to Luhut Pandjaitan, the country’s Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Affairs.
Reuters reported that Pandjaitan posted on Instagram after meeting with Tesla’s chief executive Elon Musk during a recent trip to San Francisco. During the visit Musk told him about the investment plan, it said.
“He wants to invest in the manufacturing of materials for lithium batteries,” Luhut reportedly said. He noted Tesla was not looking to build a car factory in Indonesia.
“The investment will be quite big. Let’s wait for Elon to come here around the end of September or October this year,” he said.
Tesla has been contacted for comment.
Indonesia’s trade minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said last week that the country would give car manufacturers two more years to qualify for EV incentives. The country is competing with Thailand and India to build an EV industry as an alternative to China.
