Santomo Resources Corporation (Head office: Tokyo; President: Tomoichi Yamaguchi; hereinafter “Santomo”), which engages in renewable energy development and other projects, has announced that its subsidiary, PT Santomo Green Power Management (Head office: Jakarta; President Director: Shuntaro Yamaguchi; hereinafter “SGPM”), has launched a rental business for battery-swapping electric motorcycles (“Smoot”) targeting online drivers in Eastern Indonesia.
Since October 2023, SGPM has been operating this rental business in Makassar, Sulawesi, providing electric motorcycles to online drivers (Ojol) partnering with apps such as Gojek and Shopee.
As of May 2024, the number of electric motorcycles directly rented to drivers by SGPM has exceeded 106 units. Additionally, around 50 motorcycles are leased to drivers via rental companies, resulting in more than 150 rental motorcycles operating in Makassar.
While SGPM has long been selling electric motorcycles in the region, they faced challenges as their target customers, online drivers, often could not afford to purchase these vehicles. Many online drivers lack sufficient savings to buy a vehicle outright and are unable to pass the credit checks required for loan services. To address this issue, SGPM adopted a microfinance solution where the company retains ownership of the vehicles as assets and rents them directly to drivers.
Looking ahead, SGPM plans to further reduce CO2 emissions from electric motorcycles by exploring the use of solar-powered battery-swapping stations for charging and introducing “RE100 electric motorcycles.” Currently, SGPM has been conducting off-grid demonstration experiments at its showroom in Makassar, operating independently of the power grid. Moving forward, SGPM will evaluate the feasibility of transitioning to an on-grid system connected to the power grid.
Additionally, SGPM is conducting demonstration experiments to repurpose used batteries, aiming to reduce environmental impact by developing applications for batteries with diminished capacity.
*RE100 Electric Motorcycles: Electric motorcycles powered by mobile batteries charged entirely with 100% renewable energy (SGPM definition).
SGPM is committed to building a comprehensive two-wheeled EV ecosystem encompassing “renewable energy generation, battery-swapping services, microfinance rental, and battery reuse.” Through this initiative, SGPM aims to contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society in Indonesia.
Figure 1: Online driver using a rental vehicle.
Figure 2: Online drivers utilizing rental vehicles.
Figure 3: Solar-powered battery station charging (demonstration).
Figure 4: Secondary use of used batteries (demonstration).
-For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact:
Santomo Resources Corporation
+81-3-6775-9226 (Shuntaro Yamaguchi)