How the EV Supply Chain Is Taking Shape Across Southeast Asia - Seasia.co

Across Southeast Asia, no single country dominates the EV value chain, but Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia are building complementary strengths that increasingly shape the global market. Indonesia, the world’s nickel power, accounted for about 57% of global nickel production in 2024, according to the US Geological Survey, and is pushing firms to do more processing and battery manufacturing at home rather than exporting ore. In mid-2025, CATL broke ground on a nearly US$6 billion battery integration project in Karawang, spanning nickel mining to battery production and recycling, with an initial annual capacity of 6.9 GWh and plans to reach 15 GWh, creating about 8,000 direct jobs.