They rode into town a little before noon, their powerful motorcycles gleaming in the tropical sun. It had been a fast trip to Ubud from Denpasar, up the back roads, soaring past the rice fields, weaving through the slower traffic. The Silent Riders sped down my lane, braked in front of my gate in a little puff of dust and pulled off their helmets, grinning with delight. Their comfortable journey from the city was on the latest models of electric motorcycles, many times more powerful than any that have been available in Bali until now.
These are big e-bikes -– about the physical size of a 500 CC standard motorcycle and up to 5,000 watts of power. When I bought my little 500 watt Trekko in April 2008 there were very few models available. I’ve been fairly happy with my e-bike, although it has some irritating design flaws. But now it’s over two years old, about the time the batteries are said to need replacing. Unfortunately the Jakarta companies that sold electric motorcycles in Bali were not focused on quality, nor did they have the network in place to supply after-sales support, service or spare parts. They have now folded their tents and slipped back to the Big Durian, leaving us silent riders high and dry.
Here in Ubud, a few intrepid silent riders have made the switch. “My bike was not assembled very well,” says Edie, who’s had her e-bike for 16 months. “The tail light fell off the first day I got it and something was either missing or fell off that held the back part of seat on. I had a hard time finding someone who could fix my head lights. Because mechanics are not familiar with working on electric bikes, they are reluctant to try to repair one. Other than that, I’m very happy with my bike.”
“My e-bike has worked out to be quite satisfactory in transporting me on my many trips from Sayan to Ubud, instead of using a car,” states Mary Jane. “I’m pleased that we can plug the bike into our solar-powered house outlets to recharge it. My model of the e-bike is not as fast or powerful as a regular motor bike, but it does the job. And the quiet hum of the motor is appreciated as I slip through the cool early morning air on my way to yoga.”
Roberto, a Spaniard who has lived in Bali for seven years, is deeply concerned about the island’s worsening air pollution. Following his vision to bring electric bicycles and motorcycles to Bali he and Carlos, his engineer partner, became the island’s second (and only independent) distributor of the Emoto brand in September 2008. Between the low power and speed of the bikes (the only product then available) and lack of support from the supplier, the experiment foundered. “It was very frustrating trying to work with suppliers and factories which just did not care about quality and service,” he says.
At that time the strongest electric motorcycle available was 500 watts, assembled in Java from Chinese parts. The combination of a Chinese product with Indonesian quality control proved less than ideal. The bikes were shoddily made, were slow and lacked power, and even at the attractive price point of between six and eight million rupiah found only about 500 purchasers in Bali over two years. The suppliers eventually withdrew, and batteries and dedicated spare parts have dried up. This is a serious issue. Even a small item like a screw, if incompatible with what is locally available, can really screw things up.
Roberto regretfully closed his distributorship in February 2010. “It was very disappointing; I would have liked to continue. But there were so many problems and obstacles,” he told me. “And the margins were too small to make it a profitable business. In hindsight, I would say that by reducing the number of models and optimizing compatibility of parts, and providing good after-sales service, a sustainable business in Bali would be possible.” He feels that the future of the electric motorcycle in Bali is to make or import a model that is completely (or almost completely) compatible with existing parts in the Indonesian market. The only things one would need to import or create would be batteries, controller, charger and motor. If enough shops offered batteries cheaply, it would be possible to modify conventional motorcycles locally.
Just before Roberto and Carlos closed, the shop was visited by a Belgian engineer who also had a vision of bringing electric motorcycles to Bali. “After living and working in China as a car interior design engineer for almost six years, I visited Bali for the seventh time in 2008. I was still impressed by many things about Bali, but the island had become much more dirty and polluted,” said Luckee, who is a member of Greenpeace, Carbon Footprint, Engineers Without Borders and Earth First. “There are just too many motorcycles, and they create 50% more pollution than cars.” He moved to Bali with his Korean wife in 2009 and decided to import electric motorcycles from China. But after visiting Roberto’s distributorship he realized he needed to offer a faster, more powerful model. He went back to China and tracked down a product that was manufactured for the European market, to European specs and certifications. This year he began importing these vehicles to Bali. Roberto helps him with troubleshooting and they may collaborate on producing an e-bike locally.
Luckee’s range includes electric pedal bicycles and electric motorcycles between 2,000 and 5,000 watts -– up to ten times faster and more powerful that my little e-bike. The speed of the biggest e-bikes reaches 100 kilometres/hour and the range is about 100-120 kilometres between charges. These are handsome, high performance machines that can go anywhere. A full recharge takes about 4 hours and costs Rp 3,000 plugged into an ordinary electrical socket at home or elsewhere; the charger is carried under the seat.
Electric bikes fall between the cracks legally, which has both positive and negative aspects. On the plus side, there is no need to register an e-bike or have a license to drive one. On the other hand, though, the lack of clarity makes it easy for customs officials to charge what they like on the imported bikes. The retail prices of Luckee’s bigger e-bikes start at Rp 17,000,000. He would like to charge less, but import taxes and other fees currently make up to 70% of his costs. He makes very little profit but is committed to getting these pollution-free vehicles on the road and creating a demand for them.
“These e-bikes have top quality motors and controllers and will not rust,” he points out. “The 2,000 – 3,000 watt bikes can reach at least 55 kilometres an hour and have a range of 60 kilometres –- more than adequate for commuting. Of course there are no costs for oil, gasoline, repairs, driver’s license or registration. The costs of a good e-bike, amortized over three years, ends up being on par with the purchase of a conventional new motorcycle on credit with all its attendant expenses.”
Luckee is appealing to the local government to reduce import taxes so that powerful, high quality e-bikes are competitive with conventional motorcycles. He’s also exploring the possibility of state subsidies for electric vehicles as part of Bali’s official green policy. This is an excellent opportunity for Bali’s government to demonstrate its commitment to a cleaner, greener island. “Why are there so many obstacles to doing the right thing?” he muses. “It’s very frustrating.” Both he and Roberto agree that bringing e-bikes to Bali is a labour of love; there’s certainly no profit in it yet.
But there’s a growing awareness of environmental issues here now. Many Balinese know that pollution is an issue, but don’t know what personal choices they can make to help control it. If offered an attractive, powerful, cost-effective alternative to a conventional motorcycle I believe they would buy it. And if every Balinese family replaced one conventional motorbike with an e-bike, air pollution would be reduced by a third.
Luckee’s distribution outlet, Bali Green Point, is located at Pantai Berawa in Canggu. Besides the motorcycles, he offers a range of aluminum pedal bicycles with lithium-ion batteries and six shimano gears. His is the only company on Bali that is seriously committed to alternative energy transportation at this time.
“There are plenty of people on Bali, especially foreigners, who pay lip service to green options, yet still drive big cars and conventional motorbikes,” Luckee points out. “This is an opportunity to walk the talk. With these big, powerful electric motorcycles now available, there’s no excuse not to set an example and park the conventional bike for good.”
Then he and Roberto each gave me a hug, strapped on their helmets, mounted their handsome steeds and drove swiftly and silently away.
Contact Luckee at
08123 683 4500 or
info@baligreenpoint.com
http://www.baligreenpoint.com/
Dragons in the Bath, a collection of Ibu Kat’s stories, is available in Bali from Dijon in Kuta, Ganesha Books at Biku in Seminyak and Ganesaha Books and selected shops in Ubud. It can be ordered nationally and internationally through www.dragonsinthebath.com <http://www.dragonsinthebath.com>
