Prabowo's 'National Electric Motorcycle' Plan Faces Scrutiny Amid Existing Brand Gesits

President Prabowo Subianto has announced that Indonesia will soon have its own national electric motorcycle. However, this plan is raising concerns about redundancy with 'Gesits,' an existing electric motorcycle brand developed domestically. Prabowo stated that he himself would launch the national electric motorcycle in the coming weeks. In response, Hendro Sutono, an electric vehicle advocate from the Indonesian Electric Motorcycle Community (Kosmik), pointed out that Indonesia already possesses a national electric motorcycle brand, Gesits. Gesits is a product of collaboration between PT Garansindo, the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), PT Pindad, PT LEN Industri, and PT WIMA, representing a tangible outcome of synergy between academia, private industry, and state capabilities. "The project is not just a discourse on paper, but a real manifestation of historical synergy between the academic world, private industry expertise, and state strength," Hendro said in a written statement, quoted on Tuesday (21/7/2026). However, the Gesits brand currently seems to be in a state of suspended animation. According to Hendro, Gesits is not truly gone from circulation but is "sound asleep" under the patronage of a state investment giant. Since the end of 2022, Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC) has taken over ownership of Gesits. "Given the existing reality, why should we act as if we have mass amnesia and prepare to start a new project from scratch? If a giant investment instrument like Danantara already firmly holds the battery ecosystem and embraces the Gesits brand, sound investment logic should direct state resources to revitalize what already exists. Presenting a new brand without resolving the fundamental obstacles that have stalled Gesits only risks creating budgetary inefficiencies and wasting the nation's intellectual resources," Hendro stated. Hendro assesses that the public has so far only been presented with launch promises and a vision that the electric motorcycle will support the mobility of farmers. To date, the form, technical specifications, and blueprint of the new electric motorcycle project remain shrouded in mystery. "There has been no transparent explanation regarding the technology architecture it will adopt. We don't know where the battery cells will be supplied from, who the manufacturing partners are, or how its supply chain scheme will be built. This seemingly sudden announcement without mature technical elaboration actually sends a signal of caution to observers and industry players," Hendro said. According to Hendro, the challenge of building an emission-free vehicle industry is not merely about product launch ceremonies and proud speeches. Building an electric vehicle industry is a marathon race in establishing a complete ecosystem. This includes component localization, mastering efficient basic battery technology, safety standardization, and the struggle to win public trust, which is often pragmatic regarding after-sales service. Hendro mentioned that Gesits has endured many bitter experiences from market dynamics that turned out to be not as easy as flipping one's palm. Their experience in dealing with global supply chains, adjusting to frequently changing electric vehicle incentive policies, and price competition with multinational brands should be valuable literature and a roadmap for the current government's journey. "If this new national electric motorcycle project is only interpreted as an effort to cut ribbons without solving structural constraints, we are merely awaiting the next failure. The problems of our industry rarely stem from the technical inability of engineers. Repeated failures in building the local automotive industry often culminate in the absence of policy consistency and a comprehensive integrated supporting ecosystem," Hendro remarked. He believes that reviving Gesits as the national electric motorcycle should be a far more sensible option than starting a new project from scratch, as a new project risks consuming significant costs and time. Source: Detik