Tesla is making big moves in Asia. After a dominating first year in China, the EV giant recently shared that it plans to enter the Indian market in 2021. Now, it has its eyes set on entering a different market in the region.
A report by Reuters said that Indonesia has officially received an investment proposal from Tesla. The details of the proposal could not be disclosed yet, but it is said to result in the creation of an EV battery supply chain within the country. It is also said to go “beyond just taking raw materials.”
Indonesia is the world’s biggest producer of nickel, a material that’s used to build EV batteries. A sizeable investment from Tesla would help the country move forward with its “ambitious EV and battery industry plans.”
But what really makes this an important announcement is that it may mark the official arrival of Tesla in the ASEAN region, and that should be a good sign for EV-less countries like ours. With a company as big as Tesla having manufacturing operations in neighboring countries, the eventual arrival of Tesla in the Philippines becomes a bit more realistic.
Septan Hario Seto, deputy for investment and mining at the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment, said in a recent press briefing that the Indonesian government will meet with the company soon to get an official explanation about the proposal, so watch this space for further updates. For now, what do you think of Tesla’s potential venture in ASEAN? Sound off in the comments.
