Indonesian executive Heret Frasthio is the man who is solving Indonesia’s smog crisis one scooter at a time by turning Vespas into e-bikes.
Frasthio is thechief executive of Elders, which converts the older bikes into electric vehicles. We recently reported on the human cost of dirty nickel and perhaps, a smaller scale solution might just be the salve the country needs.
Frasthio says the firm has converted and sold around 1,000 Vespas across the country since its founding in 2021 and one day aims to develop its own electric scooter.
Once converted, a Vespa’s fully-charged electric battery can last 60 – 120 kilometers, and up to 200 kilometers for an upgraded battery.
“This electric Vespa can be a solution for countries that require low emissions from motorcycles,” Frasthio said.
Conversion kits cost between USD1,500 and USD3,900, and that’s still a very high price to pay for most consumers. In Malaysia that conversion kit price alone is higher than some gas bikes.
Now, we know Vespas are a tough sell here in Southeast Asia due to their price-to-performance ratio, but if you can outfit an old Vespa with an electric kit, why not the every-man kapcai?
Fun fact: the kapcai is an amalgamation of two words “cub” from the Honda Cub and “Chai” is a Cantonese adjective to mean something is small.
We won’t lecture anyone to get e-bikes, but we could do with a lot less noise pollution here in Malaysia.
And if you ride a noisy bike, why not try an additive that can make your ride quieter, and more efficient?
