JAKARTA, Aug 19 — Electric vehicle maker Tesla TSLA.O must make its cars — not just batteries — in Indonesia, the country’s president told Bloomberg News on Thursday.

President Joko Widodo said Indonesia wants a "huge ecosystem of electric cars” and not just be exploited for its natural resources.

He also said Indonesia was considering imposing a tax on nickel exports this year to boost revenues. Officials have previously said this could come as soon as the third quarter.

Indonesian officials have said the company has struck deals worth about US$5 billion (RM22.4 billion) to buy nickel products from the resource-rich country.

Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, met with Tesla founder Elon Musk earlier this year to drum up investment. — Reuters