Cheap Cars Must Also Consume More Non-Subsidized Fuel

Jakarta, Sept 24 (Antara) - The recently introduced cheap cars, which are part of the government`s Low Cost Green Cars (LCGC) policy, must also consume environment friendly fuels, such as the non-subsidized Pertamax fuel, an expert said on Tuesday. "One of the stipulations in this environment friendly initiative is that the vehicle`s fuel consumption average must reach 20 kilometers per liter, and the fuel used should have an octane number 90 or higher, both of which Pertamina`s Pertamax meets," the Director of the Center for Industrial Technology and Transportation Systems Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) Professor Prawoto pointed out. He further stated that a vehicle could no longer be considered environment friendly if it used government subsidized fuel with an octane number below 90. Therefore, Prawoto suggested that car manufacturers should not provide a warranty, if the car was using government subsidized fuel. "The government must be consistent in overseeing the policies that have been defined," he noted. These steps would also help reduce dependence on government subsidized fuel if consistently implemented," Prawoto added. Approving the LCGC policy, Prawoto said it could help attract investment, create jobs and the car`s components could be manufactured and sourced from domestic industries. "The LCGC also have to be produced in Indonesia. Instead of importing the car, it would be better if it was produced in Indonesia," the professor suggested. The Indonesian government had issued a Government Regulation related to LCGCs and low carbon emissions (LCE) in June 2013. The regulation allowed all car manufacturers to follow the LCGC and LCE programmes, on the condition that they meet the government`s requirements, which included using more domestically produced raw materials for the manufacturing process.