In an effort to reduce carbon emissions, Indonesia's government is pushing for an increase in electric vehicles. Now, the country's largest taxi company is fulfilling a promise to be more sustainable by launching Indonesia's first electronic taxis. CGTN's Silkina Ahluwalia reports from Jakarta.  

This is Indonesia's first electric taxi to hit the roads. Launched by one of the country's biggest taxi company, Blue Bird Group, the electric car is a breakthrough innovation and part of an important commitment to support environmental conservation in Jakarta.

ADRIANTO DJOKOSOETONO DIRECTOR, BLUE BIRD GROUP "One of the most important part in our EV project in this e-taxi is to reduce to zero  the vehicle emissions, so the gas emitted from the vehicles that is part of the big pollutions within Jakarta because of the traffic that intensifies the pollution coming from the cars, so because our fleet is always on the road, by replacing one car with an EV, so that's deleting one car's pollution. That is, we hope to scale in a bigger industry, now the bus is also doing a trial."

Their new fleet includes 25 BYD cars from China and four Tesla cars from the UK. The new vehicle is expected to eliminate more than 430 thousand kilograms of CO2 emissions or equivalent to nearly 2 million liters of fuel consumption. Indonesia's National Electricity Company joined in the initiative by helping to build electric filling stations across Jakarta.

GANDRIE RAMADHAN TRANSPORT ANALYST "Electric vehicles are a new phenomenon, not just in Indonesia but around the world. The government is still learning about the technology for cars, batteries, the recycling of those batteries, and the smelting. Once relevant officials fully understand these areas, laws and regulations will follow."

The government is targeting 20 percent of all cars produced in Indonesia to be electric by 2025. Experts are hoping this new technology can provide a bright future for eco-friendly vehicles in the country.

SILKINA AHLUWALIA JAKARTA, INDONESIA "This is a huge step towards Indonesia's goals to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 29 percent by 2030. The innovation also aims to clear Jakarta's skies, a city that's known for its poor air quality. By 2020, Blue Bird plans to operate more than 200 of these electric cars. Silkina Ahluwalia, CGTN, Jakarta."