Indonesia is transitioning from internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) production to battery electric vehicle (BEV) production. This paper presents results from ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Indonesia’s ‘automotive corridor’ to theorise the implications of the BEV transition for automotive industry workers. The transition poses three key challenges for workers: (1) the labour intensity of automotive manufacturing is declining; (2) Japanese manufacturers that tolerate Indonesian labour unions and comply with labour laws are facing heightened competition from more belligerent Chinese and Korean manufacturers; and (3) new BEV production hubs are emerging outside the heavily-unionised, high-wage automotive corridor. Labour unions are experimenting with a range of responses to these challenges, including partnering with Japanese manufacturers to lobby for policies that will moderate the pace of the BEV transition. But the Indonesian state appears largely indifferent to their concerns, and is yet to formulate a plan for labour transition in the automotive corridor.