REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Large car makers in the country begin to be worried with the progress made in the development of electric cars, an official of the state ministry of research and technology and high education institute said.

Innovation Director General Jumain Appe said a number of government agencies under the coordination of the Ministry of Research, Technology and High Educational Institutes have succeeded in producing the prototype of electric cars.

"Two large car makers have been worried with what we have done," Jumain said after launching a solar energy powered cars produced by the Sepuluh November Institute of Technology (ITS) here on Monday.

"The electric car technology developed by the government needs only support from us," he said.

Meanwhile, Director General of Research and Development Muhammad Dimyati said there are two types of electric cars being developed in the country.

The Ministry of Research and Technology and High Educational Institutes has left development of electric cars to five state run high educational Institutes, Dimyati said.

He said the type developed by the research and technology ministry in cooperation with the Technology Application and Study Agency (BPPT) and the Indonesian Science Institute (LIPI) is on direct order from the president.

"The five institutes are given freedom to develop passenger electric cars. While the Ministry of Research, Technology and High Educational Institutes, LIPI, and BPPT are to develop trolley bus," he said.

The difficulty faced in the development of electric cars in Indonesia is only in production of batteries, he said, adding, electric motor, car bodies and controllers could be built locally.

Currently, the ministry also is cooperating with Japan in testing hybrid system including electric cars, he said.

"If research on lithium batteries has been wrapped up, there is another problem that needs addressing that is infrastructure of battery chargers for recharging," he said.

Development of electric cars by the ministry, LIPI and BPPT has past through the sixth level and is being pushed to reach the 7th level for laboratory and field tests before entering the manufacturing level and mass production.

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