Tucuxi

Tucuxi was an electric sports-car project developed by Danet Suryatama through ElektrikCar, a Michigan-based startup established in 2008 or 2009. The project linked Indonesian engineering ambitions with an American corporate base and was presented as part of a broader effort to develop high-performance electric vehicles for Indonesia and export markets. The car took its name from the tucuxi dolphin and used a streamlined coupe body produced in Indonesia, with early reports identifying Kupu Kupu Malam in Yogyakarta as the coachbuilder.

The best-known Tucuxi prototype appeared in 2012 and was presented in Indonesia as a two-seat electric sports coupe. Contemporary descriptions credited it with a permanent-magnet motor, lithium iron phosphate batteries, a claimed range of about 200 to 300 miles or roughly 320 to 400 km depending on source, and performance comparable to a 3.5-liter petrol car. The model drew wide attention after a January 2013 road test by minister Dahlan Iskan ended in a crash blamed on brake failure. Tucuxi remained a prototype-stage vehicle and became known as one of the most prominent early Indonesian electric-car projects of the 2010s.