JAKARTA -- Indonesia's ambition to use its vast nickel wealth to build an electric vehicle battery industry is hitting major obstacles, with the government failing to secure adequate lithium supplies and negotiations with Washington over EV-related incentives dragging out.
That comes as Indonesia's first battery cell plant, developed jointly by South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor and battery producer LG Energy Solution, nears completion. President Joko Widodo said this month it is slated to start production early next year.
