Today-Apr 25
In 2019, when Mr James Chan wanted to embark on a new business venture — of selling electric motorcycles — he felt it was only natural for him to zoom in on the Indonesia market. After all, from his frequent trips to Jakarta in his previous job, he noticed that motorbikes were the main mode of transport in the crowded city, unlike on Singapore roads where there were mostly cars. The 40-year-old entrepreneur also felt that in Singapore, regulations to get vehicles road-safe are too strict.
“I can’t test my bikes legally on the roads in Singapore because it’s not a vehicle yet… The only leeway I could get was to test on private roads,” he said. Indonesia had also laid out ambitious plans on electric vehicle (EV) adoption, with President Joko Widodo in 2019 pledging government support to build an EV industry in Indonesia including more incentives for imported and domestically produced EVs. This involves lower taxes for manufacturers and buyers of EVs. So in the same year, despite having an illustrious career starting out as a government scholar before moving into venture capitalism and financial technology, he decided to risk it all to start Ion Mobility — a company that produces electronic motorbikes, with a focus on the Indonesian market. Mr Chan also plans to expand his business to other Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Thailand. Read more at: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapore-startup-ion-mobility-mobius-launch-electric-motorcycle-indonesia-1880156
